Forbidden World
by Ice-Princess-Amber
Summary: A group of Nightworld teens finds their world slowly falling apart.
1. As the Nightworld turns...

Disclaimer: I don't own the Nightworld, the concept of Old-Souls or Hunters, or the names Redfern, Johnson, and whoever ELSE appears in this story.  
  
  
  
Forbidden World  
  
Night had fallen on the quiet town. Mothers called their young children indoors, and teenagers got ready to party at friends' houses for the night. On a lone, winding street sat a small house. This particular house sat at the entrance to a very large, wooded park. A small cat stepped down from the trees and looked around. It moved cautiously into the light until anyone within seeing distance could tell that it was a bobcat. This bobcat stopped and gave a call into the trees. A large form dropped down silently and stood next to the bobcat. This form was a large mountain lion, and it gave off a small "meow" almost. The door to the house opened and a teenage girl poked her head outside. Seeing the two cats she whispered a reproach at them. "You're late! The meeting started fifteen minutes ago!" It appeared as if the bobcat tried to say something, but the girl ignored it and kept talking. "I don't want to hear how sorry you are. This is the second time you've done this. Now get in here before someone sees you!" she said. The two cats hung their heads and walked into the house. Inside was a group of teens. They turned expectantly towards the door and didn't even bat an eye when the cats came and sat down in the room. The girl walked back in the room and surveyed the scene. "Is everyone here?" she asked.  
  
"Everyone except Lilli, but she called to say she'd be late. Her parents wanted to take her to dinner. We'd better get started, Angel, " said a young girl. Angel tossed her curly, hip-length, brown hair over her shoulder and looked at her group from her ever-changing eyes. This was how other Night Worlders knew she was a Redfern. No other lamia family had those distinct eyes. Angel looked at the girl who had spoken. Katarina Vatavich was the only actual witch in the group. Angel and Lilli belonged to the same Circle that Katarina -or Kat- did, but Angel was a vampire on the side and Lilli also had another trait that set her apart from the other witches. Kat's obsidian-black hair was pulled into an elegant braid. With her hair back, you could perfectly see her piercing, amethyst eyes. Kat was one of the only people who had come close to staring Angel down. Next to Kat sat Sage Carter. Sage had hazel eyes and dark-brown hair that got lighter at the tips. Sage was what the witches called an Old-Soul. He had been around in one form or another for hundreds and hundreds of years. But Sage also had another quality that made him a group member. Sage was one of the few werewolves that could tolerate Angel leading him. The other wolves didn't like the thought of a lamia controlling them. On the other side of Sage sat his friend, Jake Lupo. Jake's eyes matched Sage's, but his hair was totally different. Jake had silver hair that looked almost bluish in the darkness. Jake was a white wolf while Sage was a black one. Like Sage, Jake tolerated Angel. But just barely. Next to Jake was the bobcat. Angel suddenly realized that she had two cats in her living room.  
  
"Will you two change back before you shed all over my carpet. Goddess, I  
  
just had it cleaned too!" Suddenly the bobcat began to what seemed like melt. Then its features rearranged themselves until a girl was sitting where once a small cat had been. Next to her, the mountain lion was also changing until a boy sat next to her. "Sorry Angel. Forgot that we didn't change when we came in," said the boy, whose name was Mike Lowe. His brown eyes were sparkling with a light of mischief and affection as he smoothed out his dirty-blonde hair and looked at the girl next to him. Her name was Bobbi Cage. Her brown eyes and brown hair matched each other perfectly. When Mike looked her, she turned away, blushing. Angel smiled at the cat- couple and looked at the two figures sitting next to Mike. One was her lamia friend, Amber Johnson. Unlike her cousin Nissa, Amber hadn't joined Circle Daybreak. Angel was fond of calling Amber the Ice Princess at times. Especially when the talk turned to Circle Daybreak. Amber kept putting the members of that Circle down, including her cousin. Another reason Angel called her the Ice Princess was because of her eyes. Amber had the clearest ice-blue eyes anyone had ever seen. And if she looked at you wrong, her gaze would freeze you in mid-step. The girl's feathery, ice-blonde hair set off her eyes perfectly. Next to Amber was the last vampire of their group, Angel's cousin Lucas Redfern, or Luke as they called him. His brownish- black hair was short, but at the same time wild. Steel-gray eyes gave him a sophisticated look, as if they had seen the creation of life itself. This was most of their group, minus two people, although Angel wished it was only minus one. Just then, loud flapping was heard outside, and a moment later, a golden falcon flew into the room through an open window. Simultaneously, a knock was heard at the front door. Angel got up to answer it, and a second later came back with a teenage boy.  
  
"Look what the cat dragged in," Bobbi commented as Mike chuckled and Angel sent her a look that said:  
  
'Very funny smart-mouth. Ha-ha.'  
  
"Lilli, why don't you change back so we can get down to business," Angel told her. The falcon immediately started to change until it stood up as a human girl. Lilli's copper hair reflected the light, and made her seem to glow. Her amber eyes were definitely falcon related. Her full name was Lillian Hawke, even though no one in her family was a hawk that they knew of. Lilli sat down next to Jake. Angel then pushed the boy standing next to her into Sage. He turned around and said very calmly to Angel:  
  
"Thank you, Angel. I didn't know Peter was here." Peter looked out at everybody from his light-brown eyes, as he nervously ran a hand through his orange-red hair. Angel sat down as far away from Peter as she could. She didn't like vermin period, and she barely tolerated this one. If it weren't for the fact that he was a friend of Sage's, he would've been killed long ago. Kat sensed the uneasiness and quickly spoke up.  
  
"Let's get the meeting started. We're already half-an-hour into it anyway," she said. Angel relaxed a little and spoke to the entire group.  
  
"Okay everyone, I think you know why we're here. No. Wait. Let me say that again. All the Night World people know why we're here. Sorry Peter, I need to explain everything to you humans," she jeered. At this, everyone but Sage and Peter laughed. Amber sent a silent message to Luke and Angel.  
  
'Why is he even here? He's not one of us. Let him go join Circle Daybreak with all the other sissies. Good riddance to vermin!'  
  
"You know Sage won't go with him. So we're stuck like we are," Luke replied. Angel turned towards him.  
  
"Lucky us," she said simply as she turned back to face the group. She clapped her hands once and the room was instantly quiet. It always amazed Angel how well that trick worked. "Getting back to the matter at hand. There was a big meeting of Circle Midnight last night, and a few of us went. Kat went representing the witches. I went for the vampires. Mike went for the 'shifters, and Jake went for the wolves, as Sage was "busy" last night doing little vermin things with Peter. We'll all listen to what everyone has to say because things concerning everyone could have been said to one person and not others. Jake, will you go first?" she said. Jake stood up and cleared his throat. All eyes were on him. Jake smiled before going on. He liked being the center of attention.  
  
"There are reports coming in from all over the place about Hunters. It looks like Circle Daybreak is doing its job. More humans know about us everyday. There's already been a significant decrease in the wolf population. Both regular wolves and us Night World wolves. If we don't do something fast, there won't be any wolves left!" Jake said, as the others took in his meaning. Because of Circle Daybreak, humans were being told that the creatures of legend actually existed. They were panicking and hunting down anyone and anything that looked suspicious.  
  
"This could mean trouble for us," Sage said calmly. Jake stared at him.  
  
"No shit Sherlock! When did you figure this out? How can you just sit there and be so calm?" he shouted.  
  
"Old Souls are like that. They get real annoying after a while," Luke replied. Jake gave him a look that meant Thanks so much for your help.  
  
"Anyway. What did the other 'shifters have to say, Mike?" Lilli asked. Jake sat down, and Mike stood up and began talking.  
  
"Apparently 'shifters aren't getting as much attention as the other groups right now. But there has been an increase in 'shifter Hunters. Most of them are just vampire Hunters that hunt both now. Trust me, if the damn Daybreakers keep this up, kiss the wildlife population goodbye." Lilli and Bobbi looked at each other in horror. Could it be true? Would they have to go into hiding to escape the Hunters? They both hoped that a solution would be reached in this crisis, and fast. Mike sat down and motioned for Kat to stand up. She did, and looked at Angel and Lilli before speaking.  
  
"It looks like the message is the same all over. Remember the Salem witch trials?" Everyone nodded, and Sage got a look on his face like he had been there to actually see them. "Well they're starting all over again. Helpless old ladies and teen girls are being accused of witchcraft. Any kind of Pagan religion has gone underground until this thing blows over. Things have gotten so bad here on the East Coast that the Maiden, Mother, and Crone called an emergency meeting of all the high-ranking witches. Things aren't looking good for anyone around here." All eyes turned to Angel. They knew that if it was this bad for the rest of them, the vampires must be seriously hurting.  
  
"Well guys, I don't have good news at all. Sorry about that. Those stupid Daybreakers don't seem to realize what they've started. Any vampire within twenty miles of a major population has had to pack up and move. The Redferns especially. All these new Hunters want to take down a Redfern because... Well, because we're Redferns! The Daybreaker vampires are okay because no one knows where they are. Well that's great, but what about the rest of us? Hunters only used to go after "bad" vampires. Well nowadays if you're not a Daybreaker, you're a "bad" vampire. So guess what guys, we're screwed big time!" Amber's face went about fives shades of starched-sheet white, and Luke put his arm around her to comfort her. Bobbi put her arms around Mike's neck, and buried her face in his shoulder. Kat started trembling and Jake leaned over and put an arm around her small frame. She held him and started crying softly. Lilli tried to stop her hands from shaking but couldn't. Sage put his hand on her shoulders to see if she was all right. Peter looked at Angel, but Angel sent him a look that clearly said 'Don't even think about it, vermin.' Peter wisely sat where he was.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Amber asked, her voice cracking for the first time that Angel could remember.  
  
"We're going down to Vermont, where the rest of Circle Midnight is. Once we're all there, a conference will take place to find out what we should do. Everyone go home and get your things. We leave tomorrow morning at four a.m.," Angel replied. The group got up to go. Jake and Lilli changed shape before going out the back door. Bobbi and Mike shifted outside and then jumped into the trees. Amber and Luke walked to their bikes and then rode back to their houses together. Kat didn't live far from Angel, so she started walking home.  
  
"Um Angel? Can I ask you something?" Peter asked.  
  
"What is it now, pond-scum?"  
  
"Can I come to the conference with you guys?"  
  
"Can you what?"  
  
"He wants to come with us to the conference because he's part of the group and deserves to know what's going on," Sage calmly answered her.  
  
"Why should he? This conference is not, I repeat, not for human ears! He has no business coming."  
  
"Let him come, Angel. He has every right to know what's going on. Especially if he wants to become a Night Worlder." Angel immediately understood what he was saying.  
  
"Fine. But if he screws up, he's not my responsibility to protect. Just remember, my cousins are not as nice as I am," she told him bluntly. After saying this, Angel walked back into the house. Sage and Peter stood there a moment talking. Peter was promising not to do anything wrong and to stay out of the way. 'Stupid vermin. He has no business being there. Even if Sage turns him into a wolf, he's still vermin in my book,' Angel thought. She watched Sage get on his bike while Peter strapped on his roller blades. When the two of them were out of sight, Angel walked back into the living room. She paused beside an old picture of her family. Her grandmother was standing next to her grandfather at the top of the picture. Standing next to her grandfather was a tall man whom Angel realized was her grandmother's father. Angel stood below him. There was a smile of pride on her great- grandfather's face as he stood with his hand on Angel's shoulder. Her great- grandfather. Hunter Redfern. The most feared and respected of all the lamia in the Night World. Angel hoped that Hunter wouldn't be at the conference. If he found Peter, he wouldn't hesitate in ripping him apart piece by piece. 'Stupid vermin. I hope I'm not making a mistake in letting him come.' Outside, the wind was whipping up in preparation for a storm. Angel closed the window and went to pack for the trip. 


	2. False hope?

Chapter 2  
  
The alarm went off in Sage's room at four a.m. sharp. Rolling over, he shut it off and then rolled out of bed. He gently nudged Peter, asleep on the floor, with his foot. "Wake up, Peter. It's morning and we have to leave." he said. Peter stirred and opened one eye.  
  
"Coming mommy." he said sarcastically. Sage just groaned.  
  
"You're not going to start that again, are you?"  
  
"No, just testing."  
  
"Let's go." They all met at the airport, where a small plane was waiting for them, courtesy of Circle Midnight. Mike came up carrying Bobbi in his arms. She was asleep in her bobcat form. Amber and Angel just looked at each other.  
  
"Rise and shine, sleepy head," Angel sing-songed when they had boarded the plane. Bobbi woke up and changed back to human form.  
  
"I'll rise, but I refuse to shine," she replied, indicating that she really wanted to go back to sleep.  
  
"The flight's only an hour, so sleep is not the best choice right now," Sage brought up. Bobbi merely looked at him.  
  
"I really hate Old-Souls at five in the morning." Everyone except Sage laughed. The plane started up, and soon they were flying towards Vermont, and whatever dangers that might lie in wait for them.  
  
* * *  
  
"Here we are guys, beautiful Vermont!" Angel said, making a sweeping gesture with her arms as she stepped off the plane. The others looked around. As far as they could see there was nothing but woods, hills, rivers, and mountains. It was indeed a perfect setting for a conference.  
  
"Now where do we go?" Kat asked. Just as she finished speaking, an eagle floated down to them. It landed and looked them over for a moment with its piercing eyes. Mike, Bobbi, and Lilli looked at each other and said in unison:  
  
"Shape-shifter." Moments later, a boy was standing where the eagle had been.  
  
"Hello. You must be Angel Redfern," he greeted, nodding his head at Angel. She merely nodded ascent. "My name is Kelsey Harpy. If you'll come with me, I'll show you the entrance to our headquarters as of right now," Kelsey said. The entire group followed him into the woods. Kelsey pushed open a door that was carved into a tree. A set of winding staircases led down into the depths of the earth. They walked down the steps until they were in a large room. People and animals were all over. Many were rushing around yelling out orders to others.  
  
"What's with all the rushing around?" Lilli wondered as she looked at the scene before her. Kelsey turned to look at her.  
  
"Don't you know?" The entire group shook their heads. "Hunter Redfern is coming tomorrow to start the conference." Angel's eyes went wide when she heard this news. Things must be serious if Hunter was coming. Then she felt a stab of fear. Peter! If Hunter found him, his pathetic little life was over!  
  
"No Kelsey, we didn't know he was coming," she told him  
  
"Hey listen, where can we put our stuff?" Luke asked. He pointed down a long hallway lined with many doors.  
  
"There's four free rooms down there if you want them. Same sex sleeping arrangements are not required," he joked, a small grin lighting up his face. At this, Luke, Amber, Bobbi, and Mike all blushed.  
  
"You have a mind like a vermin!" Kat teased.  
  
"Hey, living with them almost every day, you're bound to pick up some bad habits. Oh, and one last thing! There's a meeting for all the vampires in the Red River room. Be there in ten minutes!" Kelsey called back as he left them alone.  
  
"Come on guys, let's store our gear and then head for the meeting," Angel said. They walked down the hallway until they came to four open doors. Kat, Lilli, and Angel went in one while Jake, Sage, and Peter went in another, Luke and Amber took one room, and Bobbi and Mike set their stuff down in the last room. Once they were all set, Angel, Luke, and Amber went to the conference room and took seats in the back. Other vampires were already there, and Angel and Luke recognized many faces. Amber saw only one of her cousins, the darkest member of her family, Rain Johnson. The meeting started when Iris Redfern stepped to the front of the room. Raising her hands, she signaled for quiet and attention.  
  
"I'm glad you could all make it. As you've probably heard by now, Hunter Redfern will be here tomorrow to really get the conference, especially on our part, moving. I am also sorry to report, but we have lost some of our fellow lamia, and I think a couple of the made-vampires." At this, she took out a list and began to read off names. Some were familiar to Angel and Luke as family, others were known by Angel, Luke, and Amber as friends, and still others were unknown to them. Iris read off these names: "Lily Redfern- killed by a Wild Power. Pierce Holt- killed by a Wild Power. Contessa and Brooke Fields- killed by Hunters. Jewel and Quince Rasmussen- killed by Hunters..." The list went on with about fifty names. Angel heard names of cousins that she hadn't seen in years. She willed herself not to cry. The Redfern family was being stalked and killed one by one like animals! If she ever got her hands on any of those Hunters, she would make them pay a blood price. The meeting ended with reports of a possible Hunter hideaway somewhere nearby. All were advised to be on their guard. They walked out and went back to the rooms. Angel was surprised to find the entire group in her room.  
  
"What are you all doing here? This is my room," she said indignantly.  
  
"It's our room too, Angel," Lilli told her.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Hey Luke, I've got something really funny to tell you," Mike said.  
  
"And what would that be?" Luke asked, not sure if he really wanted to know. Mike cupped his hands over his mouth and did a very good Darth Vader impression.  
  
"Luke, I am your father." Even Sage started laughing at this one. Bobbi laughed so hard that she fell off the bed. Luke and Amber looked at each other.  
  
"Hey Simba, shut up," Amber shot back. Mike and Bobbi stopped laughing, even though Amber and Luke had started laughing along with everyone else.  
  
"Is she great or what?" Luke asked as he put his arm around Amber.  
  
"I'd go for the "or what" part myself," Bobbi joked as Amber looked at her friend with a look that said I'll get you for that later. Mike put his arm around Bobbi and stuck his tongue out at everyone.  
  
"Come on guys, let's go exploring for now," Angel suggested. With a whoop of excitement, the group sprang up and ran to the entrance to go outside. 


	3. Fighting never solved anything...

Chapter 3  
  
Outside, the sun was still shining. Amber and Luke ran across an open field, holding hands and laughing. Bobbi and Mike changed into their forms and jumped into the trees. From about twenty feet off the ground they watched everyone else. Angel noticed that Mike's long tail kept curling around Bobbi's short one. She shook her head and silently laughed. 'Soulmates are such a riot.' . Bobbi suddenly looked down at her and said something back telepathically.  
  
'At least I have a soulmate, Angel,' she said, with a hint of smug superiority. Angel merely looked at Bobbi. As their eyes met, Angel kept the stare going. With a little yelp, Bobbi broke eye contact and lowered her head. 'SORRY!' came her instant apology. Angel didn't respond. Sage, Jake, and Peter were arguing about who was the fastest. Or more appropriately, Sage was trying to say that both Jake and Peter were fast at their own speeds while the other two boys argued. Lilli finally came over to settle the argument.  
  
"Why don't you guys have a race to see who the fastest one is?" Jake and Peter nodded. Sage looked at Lilli and smiled.  
  
"That's a very logical idea, Lilli." She smiled and took his hand.  
  
"I guess having an Old-Soul for a boyfriend has some good points after all." Sage just blushed, and Peter whistled through his teeth.  
  
Fine. You want to race me, Peter? You're on!" Jake challenged.  
  
"Where will you race to?" Angel asked as she and Kat came up behind Jake.  
  
"How about from here to Amber and Luke?" Peter suggested as he looked towards the couple. They were easily a good one hundred yards away.  
  
"I'll ask them to tell us who wins." Angel said as she linked herself with her fellow vampires. 'Hey guys, will you do us a favor?'  
  
'What is it, Angel?' they both asked  
  
'Peter and Jake want to race each other. Will you two tell us who wins?'  
  
'Sure, no problem!' Luke told her. Angel nodded at Sage to start the race.  
  
"On your mark. Get set. GO!" he shouted. Peter and Jake took off, Peter running for all he was worth. Mid-way to the finish line, Jake tripped and fell. Peter passed him and kept running. Jake immediately changed into a wolf and charged after Peter. It wasn't long before Jake had caught up to and then passed the human. Jake finished easily and shifted back to human form. Amber and Luke stared at him.  
  
"Jake, as much as I hate vermin, that was cheating and you know it," Amber told him.  
  
"I tripped and fell and he passed me. If I hadn't done that, he would've won!"  
  
"Are you saying that you can't outrun a human? What kind of a wolf are you?" Luke asked, challenge in his voice.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jake demanded, eyes flashing angrily.  
  
"Just what I said. You're pathetic if you can't even beat a human when they've got a ten yard lead on you." Luke replied as he stood directly in front of Jake. Both of them stood there for a moment, tense and ready for action. Back at the starting line, everyone else was getting worried about what was going on.  
  
"I don't like the looks of this," Lilli said as she tried to see what was going on.  
  
"I don't either. Let's get down there before something happens," Angel added as she, Kat, Lilli, and Sage took off to where Jake and Luke were standing. Bobbi and Mike sat in the tree and looked at the others.  
  
'Think we should go and help?' Mike asked, a little worried about what could happen.  
  
'No. They'll be fine. Besides, I don't feel like fighting a wolf right now.' Meanwhile, Amber was doing her best to separate the two boys.  
  
"Luke, just drop it, okay? Please?" she begged.  
  
"No, I won't "just drop it". He's part of the Night World and he should be able to take on humans. If he can't, then what kind of Night Worlder is he?" Jake just looked at him and growled.  
  
"It's not worth fighting over. Jake, back down before someone gets hurt!" Amber told him as she put her hand on his shoulder. That was a mistake. Jake had started to shift, and he hit Amber square in the face with a clawed hand. Screaming, she fell to the ground, blood welling up between her fingers.  
  
"You sorry excuse for a wolf! I'll kill you for that! No one hurts Amber while I'm still alive!" Luke shouted. He jumped on Jake, who was now fully in his wolf form. Both of then went rolling head-over-heels, with Jake biting and scratching, and Luke punching and kicking. Angel saw the boys and moved in to separate them. She grabbed Luke while Sage and Lilli held onto Jake. Kat went over to Amber and put her arm around her.  
  
"Sshh, it's okay. You're fine and Luke's fine. Everything's going to be all right," she assured her as Amber collected herself.  
  
"I'm okay, Kat. Just a little shaken."  
  
"Let me go, Angel! He had no right to hit Amber! Let me go!" Luke was yelling. Angel simply looked at her cousin.  
  
"I will have no group member's blood being spilled while I'm still in charge," she told him flatly. To prove her point, she bent his arm until his elbow was almost to the breaking point. "Do I have to break it? Because you know I will. And it won't heal up by tomorrow if I break it." Luke shook his head, and Angel relaxed her grip on him slightly.  
  
"Jake, what were you thinking?" Sage asked his friend. By this time Jake had shifted back and was capable of answering out loud.  
  
"He insulted me. I had every right to do what I did." Lilli stared at him.  
  
"You hit Amber, and she was just trying to break it up," she pointed out. Jake shrugged his shoulders in a So what? gesture.  
  
"She got in my way." Sage and Lilli got off him and walked away in disgust. Angel helped Luke up, then fixed her gaze on Jake. When Angel was happy, her eyes were brown, green, hazel, blue, or even violet. But when she was mad, her eyes turned as red as blood. Jake saw her red eyes and knew he was in for it. Sure enough, Angel exploded at him.  
  
"Got in your way? She "got in your way"? What happens if you get in my way Jake? Can I kill you just because you "got in my way"?" Jake shrank back from her. "Now apologize to Amber before I spill your blood myself!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Amber," he said quickly, staring at the ground. He looked up at Angel and saw that her eyes were blue. For now, he was forgiven. Jake looked to Kat for support, but she turned her back on him. He gave up and started walking back to the entrance to headquarters. Kat was going after him when Angel stopped her and pointed to a nearby hill. She turned to see a group of people standing there with torches and wooden stakes.  
  
"Who are they?: Kat asked, fear rising up inside of her.  
  
"Whoever they are, you can bet they're not the welcoming committee," Lilli answered as Sage put his arms around her protectively.  
  
"What do you think they want?" Amber wondered as she stood next to Luke.  
  
"I don't know. But it can't be good for us, whatever it is," he replied as he hugged Amber closer. The people then began to walk, then march, and then finally to run towards them.  
  
"Run now, and run fast!" Angel said to them. Everyone took off running. They saw Peter up ahead and called out to him.  
  
"Run Peter! They're coming!" Sage shouted to him  
  
"Who's coming?" he asked in a calm voice.  
  
"Stupid human! Don't ask questions, just run!" Angel screamed. Realizing what was going on, Peter ran as fast as he could.  
  
"Jake, run before the Hunters get you!" Peter shouted. Jake turned and saw the mob that was following them. He broke into a headlong run for the door and zipped under Bobbi and Mike, who followed him.  
  
'Why are we running, Jake?' Mike asked.  
  
"There are Hunters behind us!" Jake yelled, not bothering to look back.  
  
'Hunters? You must be joking,' Bobbi replied in a carefree voice.  
  
"You look behind me and then tell me I'm joking!" he replied. Bobbi and Mike looked back and saw the crowd.  
  
'Oh great!' Mike yelled, picking up the pace.  
  
'Tell me about it!' Bobbi added as she sped up as well.  
  
"Our only chance is to reach the door!" Jake shouted to the others, who were a few feet behind him. The tree was just up ahead, and it looked like they would make it. Suddenly, Kat cried out and fell. One of the mob had hit her in the shoulder with a rock.  
  
"Help me!" she screamed. Luke and Amber grabbed her and started to run. Sage then heard a whistling noise behind him.  
  
"You know, that sound reminds me of when I was an archer in the Crusades," he said thoughtfully. Just then, an arrow landed next to him. Lilli was startled and almost stopped, but Sage pulled her along.  
  
"That's why that sound was familiar, Sage. They're shooting at us!" she cried. Meanwhile, Jake, Bobbi, and Mike had reached the tree. Throwing open the door, Jake told them to get inside and warn everyone else. Bobbi and Mike disappeared down the stairs. Angel and Peter came up next, and Peter ran inside, followed by Sage and Lilli.  
  
"Where's Kat?" Jake asked, sounding worried.  
  
"Amber and Luke are coming with her," Angel told him. She ducked inside and Jake took Kat from Amber. He was about to go inside when an arrow came directly towards him. Luke reacted and pushed himself and everyone inside before he closed the door.  
  
"That was close," Kat sighed, her voice soft. All of them could see she was pale, and she was holding her shoulder and wincing in pain.  
  
"Jake, take Kat downstairs and see if anything's broken," Amber ordered nicely as Jake and Kat slowly descended the stairs. Amber was going to ask Luke something when she suddenly gasped. Sticking out of his shin was a wooden arrow. "Luke, you're hurt!" she nearly shouted as she put her arms around him.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," he assured her. But even as he spoke, Amber could see that the pain was really bothering him.  
  
"Why is it that men, especially Redfern men, have to be so damn stubborn?"  
  
"Genetics?" he replied, pain-filled eyes lighting up in amusement. Just then, Angel came back up.  
  
"What are you guys doing up here still?" She then saw the arrow in Luke's leg. "I was afraid that something had happened to one of you. Come on, let's go downstairs and fix you up. Then we all need to be on emergency alert. A meeting is scheduled soon, because apparently we aren't the only group to run into Hunters." Angel said as she helped Amber support Luke.  
  
"Angel, do you think they'll find us?" Amber asked, looking back at the door.  
  
"Goddess, I hope not," she replied as they wound their way down the stairs. They were all thinking that maybe Vermont wasn't the safest place to hold a big Night World meeting. For now though, all they could do was be on their guard till Hunter got there. He'd know what to do. Or at least, Angel hoped he knew what should be done. 


	4. Plans and problems

Chapter 4  
  
The entire group was sitting in Angel's room, when Luke and Amber walked in. Luke limped over to the bed and sat down with a groan. Amber seated herself next to him. Kat and Jake sat on the other side of the bed, a sling on Kat's left arm. "How're you two doing?" Angel asked.  
  
"My shoulder's dislocated, so I need the sling. Those humans are going to wish they'd never been born by the time I get through with them!" Kat replied as she curled her good hand into a fist. Jake gently put his arm around her.  
  
"What about you, Luke?" Sage asked.  
  
"The arrow went right through my shin bone and shattered it. Even being a vampire, it'll be awhile before it's fully healed and I can walk without limping," he replied, lightly patting the bandage on his leg. Angel nodded as if to say "I see."  
  
"So what do we do now, Angel?" Lilli wanted to know.  
  
"I'm not sure. Those Hunters know we're here, so they're going to be looking extra carefully now. We'll get all the details at the big emergency meeting later," Angel replied as everyone shook their heads.  
  
"There has to be a way that we can figure out what those Hunters will do next," Bobbi piped up.  
  
"How Bobbi? We can't just walk in there and expect them not to know we're Night Worlders. They'd kill us," Mike argued. Suddenly Sage jumped up and smacked his palm with his fist.  
  
"That's it!"  
  
"What's it?" Jake demanded.  
  
"We can infiltrate their operation and discover their plans! I just figured out how. I can't believe I didn't see it before!" Amber and Luke just looked at each other like "What is he talking about?" Angel realized what Sage had in mind and a smile crossed her face.  
  
"I know what Sage is thinking of doing."  
  
"So tell us," Bobbi said with her usual impatience. The lamia smiled and turned towards Peter.  
  
"You're going to come in handy after all, vermin," she told him as Peter looked from her to Sage and then to the rest of the group. The others realized what she was saying and looked at him as well.  
  
"What do you want me to do?"  
  
"You're a human. We need you to become a Hunter and find out what they plan to do. Then all you need to do is tell us," Angel replied, a devilish smile on her lips. "That is, unless they figure you out and kill you first." Peter swallowed and shifted around uncomfortably.  
  
"Will you do it, Peter?" Lilli asked, leaning forward on her seat.  
  
"He probably doesn't have the guts to do it," Mike quipped as he and Bobbi laughed to themselves. Peter stood up and looked them square in the eye.  
  
"I'll do it. You can count on me!" Just then, Amber rose and went to the door. A slight frown was on her face.  
  
"What're you doing, Amber?" Luke asked as he watched her. She looked at him, her hand on the doorknob.  
  
"This!" she replied as she swung the door open. Standing there was her cousin, Rain, arms folded across her chest. "Rain!" Amber cried, surprised and shocked to see her. The other girl laughed.  
  
"What's wrong, little Amber? Afraid I'll tell Hunter we have a vermin in our midst? And that his sweet, innocent great-granddaughter Angel brought him here? Hmm? Is that what you're afraid of?" she wanted to know, laughing as she closed the door tightly behind her.  
  
"You can't do that, Rain. Hunter will kill Peter and you know it. We need him if this plan is going to work," Luke told her, standing up. Amber stood in front of him, and he put his hands on her shoulders.  
  
"Oh, isn't that sweet! The little Redfern stands up for his friend. You're breaking my heart, Luke," Rain replied, tossing her black hair over her shoulder. Her sapphire eyes danced with pleasure at the thought of killing Peter with her bare hands. No human had ever faced her and lived.  
  
"He would be if you had one," Jake shot back, standing up. By now, the rest of the group was also on their feet. Bobbi and Mike even went so far as to change into half-form. Angel immediately saw what was going on and called for order.  
  
"Enough! Bobbi and Mike, change back this instant. I will not have my group fighting with other Circle Midnight members," she ordered as they changed back.  
  
"I don't need your protection, Angel! Just remember this. Hunter doesn't like humans, and there are rules that specify what to do in these situations. Ta-ta kiddies!" Rain said, opening the door and disappearing down the hallway. Peter sat down and breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Whew, I'm glad that's over!" he said, wiping the sweat from his brow. The others merely looked at him.  
  
"Over? You think it's over? Silly human, it is far from over," Kat replied.  
  
"If I know Rain, there's real danger in her threats. She won't hesitate to tell Hunter," Amber added. Lilli sat down with a sigh.  
  
"Great, we're dead!"  
  
"No we're not. We'll think of something," Sage assured her.  
  
"Are you kidding me? Do you think we can fight Hunter Redfern? You're nuts!" Mike nearly yelled before Bobbi clapped a hand over his mouth.  
  
"We will think of something. We have to think of something," she said, letting him go after a moment.  
  
"What can we do, Bobbi? It's not like we can fight all of Circle Midnight," Jake reasoned, sitting down.  
  
"What do you mean by "we're all dead"?" Peter asked, getting worried.  
  
"The Night World has simple rules. We can't tell humans we exist, and we can't fall in love with them. If that happens, not only does the human get killed, but so does the Night Worlder who broke the Law," Luke explained, realizing the danger they were all in.  
  
"So what does that mean for us?" Peter asked, still not totally getting it.  
  
"It means that Rain will have us killed!" Amber shouted as she started to sob. Luke hugged her until she stopped.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"We'll have to do some fast thinking before Hunter arrives. Maybe if I explain the situation to him, he'll let Peter live long enough for him to do his job. Then Sage can turn him into a werewolf or something," Angel suggested.  
  
"Everything is falling apart," Kat moaned.  
  
"So now what?" Lilli asked, afraid to know the answer.  
  
"Now we wait and see if this plan works. And while we're at it, how are you guys at praying?" Angel said grimly. Everyone in the room bowed their heads. Praying alone wouldn't help them. They hoped the plan would succeed.  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
The group sat down and tried to think of what they could do. "Do you think Hunter will let Peter live, even if he can help us?" Kat asked, wondering what would happen to them all once Hunter found out.  
  
"Probably not. He doesn't like humans at all. Even if they helped us, he wouldn't like them. It's his personality," Luke replied.  
  
"He just has to understand though. I want to help you guys. And I will," Peter stated, sitting up in his seat.  
  
"We know that you'll help us, Peter. The thing is to convince Hunter about that," Sage answered calmly. Bobbi almost screamed at him.  
  
"Doesn't it bother you even a little that you could die soon?" she demanded, her patience wearing thin. Sage simply shrugged his shoulders and gave her a look that said "Been there, done that." Lilli looked over at Bobbi.  
  
"He's an Old-Soul, Bobbi. Of course it doesn't bother him to die. He's already done it so many times anyway. Heck, what's one more life under his belt?"  
  
"Well that's just great for him. But I don't feel like giving up this life just yet," Mike piped up, looking at everyone. Amber and Luke nodded in agreement.  
  
"So what are we going to do?" Jake asked in exasperation.  
  
"I'm going to tell Hunter, and take full blame for Peter's being here. After all, I said he could come," Angel said simply. The entire group gasped in amazement and horror.  
  
"But Angel, you could be killed!" Amber protested, worried for her friend. Angel shrugged her shoulders in a "Yeah right" gesture. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Angel opened it and let Kelsey in.  
  
"Hey guys, I just came to tell you that the emergency meeting is starting in a few minutes. And guess what? Hunter's here!" No one moved. In fact, it was almost as if they had stopped breathing. "Didn't you guys hear me? I said that Hunter has just arrived," he repeated, looking around at them. Angel finally found her voice.  
  
"Thanks for telling us, Kelsey. We'll be there in a few minutes," she told him as he opened the door and left. Peter broke the silence that followed his departure.  
  
"I don't wanna die!" Angel looked at him sharply.  
  
"Shut up, pathetic human! You're not going to die," she told him as Peter stopped whining and closed his mouth.  
  
"Now what?" Lilli wanted to know for the third or fourth time.  
  
"How many times are you going to ask that question?" Mike asked.  
  
"Until I get an answer."  
  
"It's very logical that she does that," Sage added. Bobbi suddenly stood up annoyance clearly written across her face.  
  
"That's it! Werewolf or not, I'm getting really mad at him always being "logical". It's now logical for me to rip your head off!" Jake and Angel stood up and pinned her arms at her sides.  
  
"Back off, bobcat. Sit down and try and regain your self-control," Jake said, as Bobbi shook them off and sat down with a huff. Amber picked this opportune moment to quote a famous line.  
  
"Slowly I turn, step by step." She giggled, and Luke couldn't help but laugh as well. Kat rolled her eyes.  
  
"Oh hey, oi vay," she babbled  
  
"Come on guys, let's get down to the meeting," Angel ordered as the group stood up and made their way to the meeting room. Inside, all five hundred members of Circle Midnight were gathered. They all picked seats in the back and quietly sat down. A tall man of about thirty stood up in the front. Angel's heart began to race. Hunter Redfern! She looked out at the crowd and saw Rain sitting there. Rain saw Angel and gave a wave. Telepathically she sent Angel a message.  
  
'Don't worry, little Redfern. I'll make sure to end your life quickly. My cousin of course, is another matter.' Angel hissed softly at her and sent a reply.  
  
'You haven't won yet, bitch!' Rain just laughed and turned to the front of the room. Hunter had started to speak.  
  
"My fellow Night Worlders, it is a pleasure to see you all here instead of with those damn Daybreakers." The entire room started laughing. "As you know, I was called here because of how bad things are getting. The filthy vermin know we're in the world, and they're starting to hunt us down like animals. But we are the true hunters, and they are the prey! Not the other way around. We must find a way to eliminate these arrogant humans who think that they can compete with us!" he said dramatically as the room erupted with cheers and applause. One thing Hunter knew how to do was excite an audience. Rain's hand suddenly shot up in the air, and Angel's heart caught in her throat. This was the moment of truth.  
  
"Excuse me Hunter, but I have something of dire need that I have to tell the entire Circle," Rain said, standing up.  
  
"Well my girl, then say what you need to say," he replied, eyeing her warily.  
  
"There is a human among us tonight!" The entire room went silent. Even Hunter was shocked by what she said.  
  
"A human? Where is the vermin, so we can destroy him!" Hunter demanded. Rain pointed dramatically at Peter.  
  
"There's the vermin!" she cried as five hundred heads turned to stare at Peter and the others. Sage rose and stepped in front of his friend.  
  
"What is the meaning of this outrage? How dare you bring a human to a Night World meeting! Who is responsible for this?" Hunter yelled as Rain smiled slyly. Angel then realized what she was going to do.  
  
"My cousin Amber. She befriended the vermin and brought him here," Rain replied, smiling evilly at Amber, who turned pale. Hunter looked at Amber a moment before speaking.  
  
"Is this true?" Angel realized this was more for effect than anything else. Amber was too shocked to say anything, but Sage stepped forward.  
  
"No, it's not true. Peter is my friend. He's a psychic, and I thought he was a lost witch. When we found out it wasn't true, he promised not to tell anyone about us, so we let him live." Hunter leaned forward and addressed Sage directly.  
  
"You didn't kill him, even though he's not one of us?" Sage calmly nodded. "Kill the human!" Hunter shouted. As hands reached out for Peter, Angel reacted.  
  
"STOP!" Time itself seemed to listen to her as the room froze.  
  
"Angel? What is the meaning of this?" Hunter demanded.  
  
"We can use that human to defeat the Hunters. I've come up with a plan," she replied, hoping with all her might that he would listen to her.  
  
"Oh really, what's this great plan that you've come up with?" Iris Redfern wondered, becoming part of the conversation.  
  
"We can send this human as a spy into the Hunter's hideout. He'll listen in on their plans, and then report back to us. Then we can send out our own hunting party to deal with the little vermin," she explained, trying not to sound too interested in Peter's welfare. Hunter and a few of the older vampires were thinking it over. Hunter suddenly snapped his fingers.  
  
"I like it! This plan will work. I'm sure of it."  
  
"There's just one catch," Peter spoke up. Angel sent him a silent message.  
  
'You idiot, not now! Do the job, and then negotiate a reward!'  
  
"And what would that be?" Hunter inquired.  
  
"Make me a Night Worlder." Horrified gasps echoed around the room. Angel shuddered and braced herself if something went wrong. Hunter simply shrugged.  
  
"We'll see. If you succeed, we'll talk. But not before." With that, he raised his hands and dismissed the meeting. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Outside, Jake walked up behind Peter and whacked him upside the head.  
  
"You stupid human! This isn't "Let's Make a Deal"! What were you thinking?" he yelled as Peter rubbed his head.  
  
"Let's just forget it, guys. Now what we have to do is find another group and have them work with us," Lilli brought up.  
  
"What group is going to be crazy enough to associate with vermin?" Bobbi asked, folding her arms across her chest.  
  
"We will!" a chorus of voices answered. Angel turned around and nearly fainted. Standing before her was her old group, the Night Raiders!  
  
"Hey guys, long time no see," she said casually as her two groups stood face to face. "Um guys, meet my other gang. The Night Raiders." Alex and Corinne stepped forward first.  
  
"Hello. I'm Alex. Corinne and I share leadership of the gang ever since Angel moved," he introduced. Alex's blonde hair was still unruly, and his blue eyes were still full of mischief. Amy Winston, who stood next to him, was still the same small, blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty that Alex had fallen in love with. Corinne DesCourdes' wild, red hair hung about her face, and her brown eyes danced with an inner fire. Alan Rasmussen stood next to Corinne, his dirty-blonde hair still making him look younger than his perceived age of fifteen. His amber eyes were exactly like Lilli's, only they showed affection for Corinne instead of Sage. Behind Alex and Amy stood Tyrna Goddard. Her long, raven-black hair was pulled into a braid, which accented her emerald-green eyes. Holding her hand was Matt Rasmussen. He still had his "I have seen it all" look coming from his steel-gray eyes. His light-brown hair was still wild, even though Tyrna kept reaching up and trying to smooth it out. Patrick and John stood in the back of the group. John's perfectly matched dark-brown hair and eyes made him seem very plain, while Patrick's close-cropped orange hair and hazel eyes really stood out.  
  
"You guys would be willing to work with a human?" Mike asked, still not believing it. No self-respecting Night Worlder would take that job.  
  
"Sure, why not. Me, John, and Patrick used to be human, so what the heck?" Alex replied. Patrick and John waved, and Peter and Sage waved back.  
  
"Come on everybody, let's go back to the room and talk this over," Angel ordered. Soon they were all on their way back. Angel only hoped that her past and her present could get along with each other. 


	5. Meeting some welcome allies

Chapter 5  
  
"So Angel. It looks like you found a way to fit in real fast," Corinne noted, a hint of jealousy in her voice.  
  
"Corinne, you know I had to move before that social worker found me."  
  
"Anyway. Since we're going to be working together, we should get to know one another," John pointed out as the others nodded in agreement.  
  
"Why don't you handle the introductions, Angel? You know everyone," Amy told her, looking around at the other group.  
  
"Okay. I'll do you guys first. This is Corinne and Alan. They're our instigator and speed-demon, respectively. Corinne is also co-leader with Alex now." Corinne flipped her hair behind her head when Angel said her name. "Next to them are Alex and Amy. Alex is a made-vampire and my second- in-command. Amy is a witch and a made-vampire. They're soulmates. This is John and Patrick. Tyrna made John, and then John went and found his best friend, Patrick. It's kind of what you want to do to Peter, Sage."  
  
"Oh, okay," was Sage's comment. Angel continued the introductions.  
  
"This is Matt and Tyrna. They're lamia as well. Tyrna is like a mother to everyone, and Matt is our best fighter. He and Alan are brothers."  
  
"Who in this group doesn't have a significant other? Kat asked, giggling.  
  
"Look kitten, we have more couples in this group then they do, so don't start," she said as Amber and Luke started to laugh. Kat hated being called "kitten", but Angel was the only one who could do it and get away with it.  
  
"So who are the members of your new group, Angel?" Tyrna wondered, always ready to meet new people.  
  
"We call ourselves Circle Starlight. This is Bobbi and Mike. Bobbi shifts a bobcat, and Mike shifts a mountain lion. They're soulmates. Over there is Sage and Lilli. Lilli is a falcon 'shifter and a witch, and Sage is an Old- Soul and a werewolf. They're currently dating. Jake and Kat are over there. Jake is a werewolf and Kat is our resident witch. Again, they're dating."  
  
"Okay, one question. Who among you doesn't have a significant other? Besides Angel, of course?" Matt asked, knowing full well that Angel would've mentioned a boyfriend if she had one.  
  
"Peter is the only one who doesn't have a soulmate. And Matt, say what you're thinking, and Tyrna will be scraping you off the wall with a spatula!" Angel replied as Matt started to say something. Alan whacked him on the head, and Corinne laughed. Even Sage started laughing as Peter turned bright red.  
  
"So that means that you two are probably dating," Patrick guessed, pointing to Amber and Luke. They merely nodded their heads.  
  
"Guys, meet Amber and her boyfriend, my cousin Luke," Angel introduced as the Night Raiders looked at Luke with respect. He must be a tough vampire if Angel admitted being related to him.  
  
"So Amber, are you a vampire too?" John asked.  
  
"One hundred percent lamia," she replied as Luke put his arm around her.  
  
"Good. Now that we're all friends, can we figure out what to do next?" Peter asked. Everyone turned to look at him.  
  
"And what would you like us to do?" Alex inquired, eyeing him.  
  
"We have to figure out a way to get Peter into the Hunter's group. Then we need to keep a close eye on him so that we know what their movements are," Sage replied, telling everyone the plan.  
  
"Here's an idea. Why don't we work in groups. This way, there's more of us covering one section," Lilli suggested as the others agreed.  
  
"We can go in fours," Bobbi added, wanting to get to know Corinne and Alan a little better. They seemed to be like her and Mike.  
  
"That seems like a good plan. So what are the teams, Angel?" Amy asked, looking at her friend.  
  
"Why are you asking me? Can't you guys find partners yourselves?" As soon as she finished her question, they all moved. Alan and Corinne smiled as Bobbi and Mike came to join them. Amy and Alex sat down next to Kat and Jake. Sage and Lilli smiled as John came over and sat down near them. Matt and Tyrna went to stand next to Luke and Amber. Suddenly, Angel realized who she was teamed with. "Oh no. No, no, no. I am not, repeat not going with Peter and Patrick. I'll kill one of them. I know I will!" she yelled as Peter and Patrick looked at each other and then at Angel. Both of them had weird smiles on their faces. Angel proceeded to back away from them.  
  
"Don't worry, Angel. We won't do anything," they said together.  
  
"You promise?" she asked cautiously. The two boys nodded their heads.  
  
"We promise!"  
  
"Do you really? Because I won't hesitate to kill either one of you, you realize that." They kept shaking their heads.  
  
"Scout's honor," they chorused, plastering smiles on their faces. While the rest of the group laughed loudly, Angel groaned.  
  
"Goddess, why me? I've tried to be good, really I have! Why are you punishing me?" No one answered her. Angel looked at the two boys who she had to work with. "Rule one- No touching Angel. Rule two- No bothering Angel. And rule three- Angel makes all the rules!" The smiles remained on their faces. With a sigh, Angel turned to go outside. The others jumped up and raced after her.  
  
"Finally, some action on this dull trip!" Alex yelled, as the Night Raiders gave a war whoop. Angel and the other members of Circle Starlight joined in. This would prove to be interesting! 


	6. Into the Hunter's den...

Chapter 6  
  
The two groups sprinted up the stairs and stopped by the door. Angel held up her hand for silence, and then slowly moved towards the door. She was about to open it when she thought. 'What if there are Hunters right outside? I could be killed!' Angel turned around and faced the group. Peter and Patrick looked at her.  
  
"What's wrong. Angel?" Peter asked, looking at her.  
  
"Oh, it's just that I thought of something. I always get to do the fun stuff, like go first. So I figured that maybe one of you brave, strong, intelligent boys would like to go first this time?" she offered, winking at both of them. Everyone but Peter and Patrick knew what she was doing. They both stepped bravely forward and threw open the door. Acting like the complete idiots they were, they marched outside into the bright sunlight. The others wisely stayed inside.  
  
"You know Angel, that wasn't nice of you to trick them that way," Luke said.  
  
"Yeah, they could be killed if there are Hunters outside," Amber added. Angel simply turned to look at them.  
  
"Better them than me, right?" she asked as Corinne and Bobbi giggled. Alan and Mike started to snicker. Sage and John just looked at her.  
  
"You do have a point," Alex agreed as he tried not to laugh. Just then, Peter's voice came from outside.  
  
"You can come out now. Everything is fine, and I don't see anything." Angel was not truly convinced.  
  
"Patrick, do you see anything?" she asked, knowing that his senses were a little better than Peter's.  
  
"Nope. There's no one out here but us." Angel motioned for the group to proceed, but cautiously. Jake walked outside and started sniffing the wind.  
  
"I don't smell anything, so they must have left after they couldn't find us."  
  
"We'll split up. Everyone find a section to cover. From now on, only use telepathy to talk. That includes you, Peter," Angel commanded as they all went in separate directions. Angel noticed Peter and Peter start to follow her, and quickly made up another rule. "Rule four, guys. Angel works alone, as in solo."  
  
"But Angel, who can we work with?" Patrick asked as he started to whine.  
  
"Work with yourselves. Just don't work with me."  
  
"But Angel-" Peter started to say. She cut him off, eyes flashing quickly from blue, to violet, to green.  
  
"Remember rule three, Peter. I make the rules. You really don't want to find out what happens when one of those rules gets broken. Do you?" she asked as her eyes turned red. Peter and Patrick hastily backed away, as her eyes turned blue once more. Whipping her long hair into their faces, she turned and sprinted into the trees. Swinging herself up onto a branch, she prepared herself to watch the scene. Peter and Patrick would go to the Hunters together. As long as Peter didn't blow his cover, they were both safe. Angel then saw a group of people approaching over the hill. She fixed her gaze on Sage, Lilli, and John, who were right there and could get a good look. 'Who are those people coming up towards you guys?'  
  
'They look like Hunters to me,' Sage replied.  
  
'How can you tell?'  
  
'They're carrying silver daggers, wooden stakes, and metal-tipped spears. It's not like we have any prehistoric cavemen running around in the foothills of Vermont,' John answered as Angel's heart began to race. She quickly calmed herself. 'This is no time to think about hunting when we have a serious situation on our hands!' she chided herself. Just then, Lilli said something.  
  
'Angel, Patrick and Peter are approaching them. The Hunters have stopped. They're talking, and now they're, they're-'  
  
They're what?' Bobbi yelled.  
  
'They're taking us back with them, that's what,' Patrick told them as he and Peter followed the Hunters to wherever they were going.  
  
'Good luck, guys,' Sage called out as they disappeared from .  
  
'Well, phase one is complete. Now we wait for communication from those two,' Angel said, watching them go.  
  
'Yeah. And while we're at it, we can pray that they don't screw up,' Amy added. Angel hoped she was right. They were on their own now. She hoped they came back so a plan could be made to kill the Hunters once and for all.  
  
* * *  
  
Peter and Patrick were shaking as the Hunters looked them over. "So you want to join up with us? May I ask why?" a young man asked. His Southern accent was very apparent to the two Northerners.  
  
"We heard about people who believed in all this weird stuff, and at first we thought it was only a game," Peter began, trying to sound casual.  
  
"Then when we came here for a family reunion, we saw them. It was simply horrible!" Patrick chimed in. Most of the Hunters were now looking at both of them, their eyes wide.  
  
"What did you see?" a young girl asked, hanging on to her spear.  
  
"They attacked our family. A whole slew of them! They came down in all these weird shapes. Some of them looked just like us, but you could tell that they weren't human," Peter took over telling the story. He now had the full attention of the entire group.  
  
"What did the other creatures look like?" the southern boy asked.  
  
"Well, at first there was only these two wolves. Our dad told us not to get to close. Then this big falcon came over the hill, and attacked our little cousin. Then these two big cats came. One was a bobcat and the other was a mountain lion. Those two attacked together. Now if that's not strange, I don't know what is," Patrick continued, trying to lie and look like he was telling the truth at the same time. Even being a vampire, it was hard to do.  
  
"Then what happened?" asked a girl who stood with her hands on the shoulders of the first young girl. She was holding a stake tightly in her hand.  
  
"Well after these animals attacked, then these, these... Things came out of the trees. They looked human, except that their teeth were really long and really sharp. It was like they were part animal!" Peter continued, taking the pressure off Patrick for a little bit.  
  
"Vampires, werewolves, and shape-shifters is what you saw. They were probably working together to get what they all need to survive," said a boy who was about the same age as Peter and Patrick.  
  
"What do they need to survive?" Peter asked, trying to sound nervous.  
  
"Werewolves need the heart and liver of their prey. 'Shifters need the flesh, and vampires need the blood," the young girl with the spear answered. She bent down to tie her shoe, and the point of her spear leveled directly at Patrick's heart. He gasped and backed away in fear, and Peter immediately saw why. The tip of her spear wasn't metal, it was wood. A few of the people, including the southern boy, saw this reaction and became suspicious.  
  
"What's wrong, don't like wood?" he asked, sneering at Patrick, who shook his head and backed up.  
  
"Why not? It's not like we'd slip and stake you," the girl with the stake told him, pretending to come at him. Peter saw that this was not going according to plan, and then he suddenly thought of something.  
  
"Patrick, we really should tell them what those freaks did to you. Maybe they know a way to reverse it or something," he suggested, putting his arm on Patrick's shoulder to reassure him.  
  
"They did something to you?" the girl with the stake asked, stopping mid- way to raising her weapon. Patrick understood what Peter was trying to say and nodded, a sad look on his face.  
  
"What did they do?" the older boy asked, his voice dropping to a whisper. Patrick decided the best way to tell them was to show them. He opened his mouth a little and extended his teeth. While doing this, he had to resist the urge to dive on the young girl in front of him. Horrified gasps echoed up and down the group as a few of them stepped away from the young Night Worlder.  
  
"So you're a, a-" the southern boy started to say.  
  
"A vampire. And believe me, I am not proud of it. Those rejects from a horror film did this to me. My brother was luckier. They were going to use him as food. Then you guys came and scared them off. We owe you," Patrick explained, finishing the story. He only hoped that they believed him.  
  
"So they turned you into one of them?" the spear-girl  
  
"Yeah. I don't know why they wanted me, of all people. Can you help us?" he replied, motioning towards Peter.  
  
"Well we have good and bad news. We can't turn you back into a human, but you can get revenge on the creatures that did this to you." the older boy said.  
  
"How can we do that?" Peter asked, wondering what sort of plan they had.  
  
"Since he's one of them, he can walk into their midst unharmed and get information that we can use. Once we have the info on what they plan to do next and where their hideout is, we can infiltrate their sanctuary and destroy them once and for all," the young boy said as the group nodded their heads in agreement.  
  
"Come with us for now. We'll show you around our place, and then tell you all the details about the society you're about to enter," the girl with the stake added, as they led Peter and Patrick into the valley. They both tried to look scared.  
  
"Oh goodie," was all Peter said in response. After entering the valley, they walked for quite some time until they came upon a small shack, nestled among trees and boulders from the nearby mountains. Once inside, the floor dropped out from beneath them. It took Peter a moment to realize that the floor was an elevator, and that they were going underground. When the elevator stopped, the older boy motioned for everyone to get off, whereupon the elevator rose to the surface again.  
  
"Where are we?" Patrick inquired, his eyes wide in genuine awe.  
  
"Welcome to our humble abode. From now on, consider it your home," the girl with the spear said.  
  
"Great. Now that we're considered part of your group, can we at least learn little things like your names?" Peter asked, as he looked around the hideout. About twenty or so Hunters were already down there, not to mention the ten he had come down with. Neither of the boys knew if any other Hunters were on the surface. Looking at the spear-girl, Peter couldn't help but smile. It was contagious, and she smiled back.  
  
"My name is Melody. I'm sixteen," she introduced, offering her hand to Peter. He took it and was surprised at her strong grip. She smiled devilishly. The older girl then stepped up.  
  
"I'm Julie, and I'm seventeen," she told them, smiling at Patrick and taking his hand. Her grip was also strong for a human girl.  
  
"They call me Clint. I'm only fifteen, but I still fight good," the boy with the southern accent bragged as he offered his hand. His grip was relaxed, unlike the two girls. The older boy then stepped forward.  
  
"My name is Drake. I'm nineteen and leader of this hunting party. I'm also Julie's brother," he told them, smiling at Julie. She just rolled her eyes and looked heavenward. They were definitely related.  
  
"I'm Peter and this is my brother Patrick. We're the last of our family that still survives as far as we know," Peter fibbed, trying to sound upset.  
  
"How many family members were at this reunion?" Drake asked, wanting to get all his facts straight.  
  
"We had close to fifty people there when they attacked. But they only outright killed about fifteen people. We don't know what happened to the others." Patrick replied, forcing remorse and sadness to creep into his voice.  
  
"They probably took some of your family to eat or play with later. The others... Well let's just say that they'll probably wake up a whole different person. If you know what I mean." Julie murmured, telling the boys point-blank what would happen to their "family".  
  
"Do they really just turn humans into others of their kind for fun?" Peter asked, playing the stupid human role. He wanted to find out not only what, but how much these Hunters knew.  
  
"Can I tell them? Please?" Melody begged, looking at Drake.  
  
"Clint can help you if you miss anything important," he replied as the younger boy beamed at his leader's praise.  
  
"These creatures belong to a secret society called the Night World. At least, it was secret until the Hunters started learning about it. There are four groups of Night Worlders. The main group is the vampires, and there are sub-groups of them. One group is the lamia. They're the vampires who are born vampires. They can grow old, have kids and get to be very powerful. The most powerful lamia family is the Redferns. They're all over the place. Their leader is Hunter Redfern, one of the original Redferns. The other group of vamps is the made ones. These guys are born humans, but if a vampire bites them and they drink the vampire's blood, they're turned into vampires. That's what you are, Patrick." Melody said as he slowly nodded his head, like he was trying to process all this info at once. Clint then picked up where Melody left off.  
  
"Another group in the Night World are the werewolves. These guys are like shape-shifters, except that 'shifters can be any animal, and wolves are just wolves." he said as Peter suddenly thought of a question.  
  
"So you mean that 'shifters can shift into any kind of animal? Like a panther, a bear, or even a dog?" he asked, trying to sound cynical.  
  
"No, they can't shift into all the animals. Only one animal is theirs. You can usually tell what animal they are by their first or last names. But they're called 'shifters because they can be any animal that's not a wolf. Wolves are just "specialized" 'shifters."  
  
"So what's that last group in this "secret" society?" Patrick asked, just to sound impressed. Julie answered him.  
  
"The last group are the witches. They're the ones who most resemble humans. They don't change into animals, and they don't grow teeth. All they are is people who have amplified psychic power. They aren't that different from us," she replied, scorn in her voice. Peter sent Patrick a silent message.  
  
'What do you think Kat and Amy would do if they heard this?'  
  
'Probably strike them down with a really big spell, knowing them. Amy is not someone to fool with when she's mad.'  
  
'Neither is Kat, if you catch my drift.'  
  
"So are there any rules in the Night World?" Peter wondered.  
  
"There are really only two rules, but breaking them means certain death for the Night Worlders and any humans that are involved," Melody answered, smiling.  
  
"What are these two rules. I mean, if I'm going to go there, I should know them," Patrick wisely stated.  
  
"The first rule is to never tell humans that the Night World exists. But somebody screwed up that rule, or else how would Hunters know so much? You see, the Night Worlders say that it's okay to play with, torture, fool with the hearts of, or even kill humans. The second rule is a lot bigger than the first. This is why Circle Daybreak is becoming so popular. The second rule clearly states that no Night Worlder can fall in love with a human." Drake said, making the boys realize that Circle Daybreak was doing a very good job of telling humans everything.  
  
"What does this rule have to do with Circle Daybreak?" Peter wondered.  
  
"Circle Daybreak goes against everything the Night World stands for. They tell humans about themselves, they befriend humans, they leave the Night World forever, and they usually have human soulmates," Julie explained.  
  
"Soul-what?" Peter asked, playing dumb.  
  
"The soulmate bond is a love-bond. It ties two people, who may not have anything in common, together. Now more and more, Night Worlders are finding out that their soulmates are human. So to protect themselves and their mates, they leave the Night world and join Circle Daybreak. There's also the Wild Power thing going on," Melody added, seeming to totally confuse the two boys.  
  
"Wild Powers? What are they?" Patrick questioned.  
  
"The Wild Powers are four teens from the Night World who are the only ones who can save the human race when the Millennium comes. The witch Maiden Aradia gave a few prophecies about them. One has already been found. A half- human, half-vampire crossbreed by the name of Jez Redfern. The other three are currently still at large," Clint chimed in. Now came the clincher. If these Hunters knew the prophecies, Circle Midnight was in deep trouble.  
  
"What are the prophecies?" Peter wondered, looking eager to know them. Drake and Julie nodded their heads, and Drake began to recite them from memory.  
  
"One from a land of kings long forgotten; One from the hearth which still holds the spark; One from the Day World where two eyes are watching; One from the twilight to be one with the dark. And there are also a few prophecies about what they need to do." Julie picked up on this point.  
  
"Four to stand between the light and the shadow. Four of blue fire, power in their blood. Born in the year of the blind Maiden's vision. Four less one and darkness triumphs," she recited, sounding so much like a witch chanting a spell that Patrick forgot for a moment that she was a human.  
  
"Any other prophecies we need to know?" Peter asked, shifting his gaze from Drake to Julie and back again.  
  
"There is one more. I think it goes like this: In blue fire, the final darkness is banished. In blood, the final price is paid," Clint said, screwing up his face in concentration as he recited the lines. Peter and Patrick looked at each other and sent the same message.  
  
'They know all the prophecies! We are in trouble!'  
  
"So what do you guys think about all this?" Melody wanted to know, looking at the two boys. It took them a moment to recover from the initial shock.  
  
"All I can say is… Wow! You really know your stuff," Patrick finally managed to spit out. Peter nodded his head vigorously in agreement.  
  
"Ditto." Drake and Julie were talking to each other, and occasionally Julie would look at the two boys.  
  
"I still don't think they're ready to do this. They could be killed if they don't know what to expect," she kept saying. Drake kept shaking his head.  
  
"They'll do fine, Julie. You have to stop worrying about everyone all the time. This is a chance for us to kill those freaks of nature, and for Patrick and Peter to get revenge for their family," he told her as Julie started to protest again. He moved away from her and stood in front of the Night World boys.  
  
"Listen Drake, me and Peter are real eager to get those killers once and for all. Can we leave now?" Patrick wondered, eyeing the older boy. Drake nodded.  
  
"Sure. Just do us a favor and take these small radios. They'll allow you to keep up communications with us. And good luck to both of you," he said, handing them two small walkie-talkies, and they put them in their pockets. They got on the elevator and were about to leave when Melody came up holding two stakes. Handing the weapons to them, she kissed them both on the cheek.  
  
"Good luck, my handsome knights," she whispered, batting her lashes. Both of them completely melted at the sight of the pretty girl. Once on the surface, they ran all the way to the door. Peter walked up, and without thinking, threw it open. A second later, strong arms locked around him and pulled him inside. Peter tried to scream, but a hand clamped over his mouth and cut him off. When Patrick went to investigate, he was also grabbed. The door slammed shut on the outside world. Inside, the two boys struggled against the people holding them. Suddenly, a voice pierced the darkness"  
  
"Wait! It's Peter and Patrick!" came a female voice. The hands dropped, and as Peter's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could make out four figures standing there. Patrick, who could see better, knew who they were.  
  
"Tyrna, Matt, Luke, Amber. What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised and relieved at the same time.  
  
"Making sure that no curious Hunters found this place," Tyrna replied, looking at the door with a worried frown.  
  
"So how did your little interview go?" Luke wanted to know.  
  
"Well we have one thing to say... We're in!" Peter nearly shouted.  
  
"Hey, that's great. Go tell Angel. We'll be down as soon as Kelsey and Iris get here. Oops, never mind, here they are," Matt said as the vampire and 'shifter came up the stairs. With a whoop of excitement, he grabbed Tyrna by the arm and almost dragged her down the steps. Amber and Luke followed at a dignified, but still anxious pace. Peter and Patrick were the last ones down. The others were all in Angel's room talking. The talk immediately stopped when the group walked in.  
  
"What did they say?" Amy asked, eyes shining brightly.  
  
"Well we got accepted, if that's what you want to know," Peter said casually.  
  
"I told you they'd fall for it!" Jake yelled.  
  
"Stupid humans," Bobbi and Mike said together.  
  
"This is great!" Alex cheered, hugging Amy.  
  
"Yes, yes, yes! Ow!" Kat cried as she stood up and started jumping around. She quickly sat back down as a shooting pain went up her entire arm.  
  
"Now we can kill those stupid humans!" Corinne noted.  
  
"They'll never know what hit them," Alan added, smiling broadly.  
  
"A fight. Just what we need around here," Lilli pointed out.  
  
"We still need to see what happens with the plan before we celebrate," Sage said calmly. John looked at him.  
  
"Oh lighten up, Sage!" he teased, getting into it. Bobbi and Corinne started laughing insanely, both eager to get into a fight.  
  
"Finally, revenge for my family's name," Luke swore as his eyes clouded over. Amber squeezed his hand.  
  
"Don't worry, Luke. We'll get the vermin who hunted your family."  
  
"Yeah. They haven't got a prayer," Matt agreed, trying to support his friend.  
  
"We'll kill them all. Maybe that'll teach Circle Daybreak a lesson or two." Tyrna spoke up as a hunting light came into her eyes.  
  
"We will kill the Hunters. We will destroy Circle Daybreak. We will win the Millennium War, and then we shall rule it all!" Angel screamed as resounding cheers echoed up and down the room. They penetrated the walls until every Circle Midnight member was yelling a cheer at the intended victory over one of their greatest enemies... MAN. 


	7. Chaos ensues

Chapter 7  
  
"What is going on in here?" came Rain's shout as she threw the door open.  
  
"Nothing, dear cousin. Nothing that would interest you anyway," Amber replied with polite sarcasm. She didn't like the way that Rain's eyes were glaring at Peter.  
  
"What do you want, Johnson?" Angel asked, emphasizing the last name. She wanted Rain to remember that, as a Redfern, she was in charge.  
  
"I want to know what sort of progress you're making." Rain replied, putting her hands on her hips.  
  
"None of your business," Luke shot back, his voice growing icy. Amber grabbed his hand and sent him a silent message.  
  
'Don't do anything. She may not be a Redfern, but she is lethal. I don't want you hurt,' she warned him as a flash of fear entered her eyes. Luke saw how worried she was. He gave a long sigh and relaxed. Rain saw it and understood what it meant. She crossed the room in two strides and was in Amber's face. Her eyes were full of pure hate as she glared at her cousin.  
  
"I don't need you protecting me! But then again, maybe you're more like Nissa then I thought. Go join the Daybreakers like the rest of your cursed family branch!" Amber tried to kick her away, but Rain pinned her down. Everyone else was up now, and their eyes showed pure anger. Thinking fast, Rain kicked Luke's bandaged leg. In the second that they were all distracted, she bolted out the door. Angel tried to grab her, but she was too far away. Tyrna held Amber as she stopped shaking. Matt made sure that no extensive damage had happened to Luke. When he was sure, he gently made Amber loosen her grip on Tyrna. Turning towards Luke, Amber held him and then brushed the hair out of his eyes. He put a shaky hand on top of her head and gently smoothed out her hair. Angel remained standing when everyone else sat down. Her eyes were a deep violet, and that made them glow.  
  
"I-have-had-ENOUGH! Lamia or not, that little vermin is dead! Let's see how cocky she can be with a stake in her chest!" she yelled as Peter gulped and Sage went white. He tried to regain his composure.  
  
"Now Angel, let's not be too hasty. We could all do something stupid that we'll regret later," he cautioned, trying to calm everyone. But it was too late. Sage saw the light in their eyes. Even Lilli had blood in her eye.  
  
"Shut up, Sage! You can't understand the kind of killing that we have to do sometimes," she shouted, turning on him. It was true. Sage had never killed anything bigger then a moose. And he certainly didn't go after humans.  
  
"What would a 'shifter know about killing? You pretend to be animals, while we attack like this!" Alex yelled, pointing out the fact that he looked human.  
  
'Hey Alex, who do you think you are? At least we weren't humans before like you," Mike retorted. The whole group then began to move. All the vampires crowded behind Angel. Lilli, Jake, Bobbi, and Mike went on another side of the room. Sage backed Peter into a corner while he surveyed the scene. Only Kat and Amy stayed in the middle. Kat glanced at Jake, and Amy looked at Alex.  
  
"Come over here, guys. You don't want to associate with animals," Corinne spat out, motioning to the two witches.  
  
"Don't listen, Kat! You know we belong together," Jake argued, his eyes pleading with her.  
  
"Amy, you're a vampire! Come with us," John told her.  
  
"Kat, come with us," Bobbi called out.  
  
"Amy, I love you. You know that. Come over with me," Alex said to her. Amy and Kat looked at each other, then at the two groups, and then finally at Sage and Peter huddled in the corner. They clasped hands and began chanting, their minds made up.  
  
"Through time and space we invoke thee. Come cleanse our minds and spirits, oh wise Goddess. We invoke thee! So mote it be. So mote it be. By the sacred elements: Earth; Air; Fire; Water; We invoke thee!" they chanted, their voices getting louder with each sentence. A ball of orange energy formed between their hands. When Angel finally realized what was happening, it was too late.  
  
"EVERYONE DOWN!" she screamed, throwing herself to the floor. The energy exploded around the whole room as Kat and Amy stopped chanting. Angel had only enough time to feel pure energy hit into and through her, before the world exploded into darkness. 


	8. Explanations come to those who insist

1 Chapter 8  
  
"Angel? Angel? Angel?" came Kat's voice. Even though she felt fuzzy, Angel immediately opened her eyes and sat up.  
  
"What? I was sleeping!" she said, trying to sound really angry. As her vision cleared, she saw Kat, Amy, and Sage looking at her. Bobbi and Mike were leaning against the wall and groaning. Lilli was still knocked out, and Jake was struggling to stand up. Angel stood up and gazed at the other vampires. Luke and Amber were sitting on a bed looking dazed. Amy was waking Alex up, and Corinne and Alan were moving and moaning. John suddenly sat up with a jolt. Tyrna gently shook Matt, and he raised himself up on his elbows. Patrick was sitting against the wall and when he saw Angel looking at him, he smiled. She turned away from him quickly. Sage was over by Peter, who was still unconscious.  
  
"What just happened?" Alan demanded, sitting up.  
  
"Ask our little witches." Lilli reminded him, coming to and sitting up.  
  
"What did you guys do to us?" Patrick asked, holding his head.  
  
"We needed to stop you guys from killing each other," Kat replied as Jake came and stood behind her.  
  
"Well it worked," Matt said bluntly, sitting down heavily on the bed. Kat and Amy looked hurt, and their concerned looks turned into pouts.  
  
"Don't listen to them. They're just idiots," Angel assured them, glaring at Matt, who shrank away. Bobbi's head jerked up as she fixed her gaze on Angel.  
  
"I'm not an idiot," she shot back, anger making her face turn red. Amber looked at Bobbi, her eyes holding no feeling except an icy-coldness.  
  
"Cool it, Bobbi." Bobbi got the hint and began to talk to Mike.  
  
"The Ice Princess strikes again!" Luke teased, laying down on the bed. Amber just threw a pillow at him.  
  
"Having fun, Amber dear?" Angel asked.  
  
"I forgot how much fun it is to do that to people," she answered as Tyrna smiled. Angel knew that both girls could freeze someone solid if they wanted to. Suddenly, the door swung open. Two girls walked into the room, and Angel recognized both of them.  
  
"Unity Skye. Hey Lyca, what's up?"  
  
"Unity Angel. Energy is what's around here," Skye replied, looking around at the others. Peter was awake now, but still groggy.  
  
"What happened in here?" Lyca wondered, her gaze quickly shifting between Angel, Kat, Amy, and Sage.  
  
"We had a little disagreement. Kat and Amy decided to settle it the "old- fashioned" way," Sage explained, pulling Peter to his feet. Skye arched her eyebrow and sent a look at Angel that said Oh really?  
  
"Um, I know this is going to sound rude, but who are you?" Peter asked, puzzled. Sage hit him upside the head. Angel put her head in her hands. Amy and Kat put hands to their mouths to stifle their gasps. Skye and Lyca folded their arms over their chests and looked at each other.  
  
"The question is, who are you?" Lyca inquired, looking at him. Angel quickly made Peter's introduction.  
  
"Skye, Lyca, this is Peter. He's a human." She put a fake cough on the word "human". Skye's eyes went wide, and Lyca's jaw dropped. Peter just stood there. After a moment, the girls collected themselves.  
  
"I ask again, who are you?" Peter repeated, getting whiny. Lyca went first.  
  
"My name is Lyca Richards. I'm Angel's friend, and member of Circle Starlight. And I'm also a gray wolf on the side." Lyca said, showing Peter a toothy smile that didn't look too friendly. Her liquid-brown eyes went perfectly with her hair. It was set with soft, brown curls that hung halfway down her back, and framed her face like a picture. Skye stepped forward.  
  
"I'm Skye-"  
  
"You're a Harman!" Amy cried happily. Skye simply looked at her, and then continued with her introduction.  
  
"It's Eirne now. I was a Harman, until my mom died. When my dad remarried, I took my step-mom's name. But I'm still a daughter of Hellewise Hearth-Woman. Angel and I were the ones who started Circle Starlight, so you could say that I'm an Elder." Skye's hair was a shiny, mousy-brown that hung down her back. Her amethyst eyes clearly showed everyone that she was a Harman. Only Harman witches had natural, permanent purple eyes.  
  
"Okay. That's great that I know you. Now answer me one question. Who are they?" Peter demanded as three more girls came into the room. Angel just glared at him, but Lyca and Skye had to suppress giggles. The lead girl put her hands to her hips and shot a glance at him.  
  
"Who am I? Who am I? Don't you know who I am?"  
  
"If I knew who you were, do you think I'd be asking?" Peter replied in all seriousness. Skye turned to look at Angel.  
  
"Angel, what exactly have you told this little boy? That deals with the Night World anyway?" Lyca started laughing again.  
  
"Apparently not much!" she said between giggles.  
  
"I didn't tell him about the families," Angel retorted, glaring at Lyca, who was fighting to stop laughing.  
  
"Well then it looks like he's going to get another lesson from Dahlia right about now," came another voice. It belonged to a young girl with light, golden-brown hair. Her blue-gray eyes were shining with wisdom and understanding.  
  
"Hi Leah! Didn't see you behind Dahlia," Skye greeted.  
  
"Leah? Dahlia? Who's who?" Peter asked, confused now.  
  
"My name is Leah Martin. I'm an Old-Soul, but human. I'm another of the members of Circle Starlight," Leah introduced herself, bowing slightly to Peter. Sage bowed back out of respect for a fellow Old-Soul, and she smiled at him.  
  
"I'm Dahlia Drache, a tiger 'shifter. And I'm an Elder of the Circle." Dahlia said. Her curly, orange-red hair made it look like her head was on fire. Her jade-green eyes were those of a hunter, but a light of fun could be seen in them.  
  
"And that name means what to me?" Peter questioned as horrified gasps ran rampant all over the room. Bobbi and Mike grabbed Peter and sat him down in a chair. Angel then started to explain.  
  
"There are really three families that "run" the Night World. One controls the witches, one has reign of the 'shifters, and another has a say for the vampires. You already know who runs the vampires. Any dope knows that the Redferns are in charge. We're all descended from Maya, the first vampire." She and Luke caught each other's smiles across the room. The look they sent was We cool. We rule.  
  
"The family who runs the witches is the Harmans. We're all direct descendants from Hellewise Hearth-Woman, who also happened to be Maya's blood sister. Their mother is the mother of all witches. Her name was Hecate, the Dark Goddess. Our Joint-Council is led by the Maiden Aradia, Mother Cybele, and the Crone, who happens to be Grandma Harman, the oldest Harman and witch period." Skye continued, her voice becoming more animated as she went on.  
  
"The last group that runs the Night World are the 'shifters. The leader of them is the First House of Shape-shifters. They're the Drache family. Which makes me a 'shifter princess. We're descended from the dragons that were on earth in prehistoric times. But the witches put all the dragons to sleep and buried them. Only the three year-old dragon princess was allowed to stay awake. The witches raised her and taught her to be good. The First House is descended from her. That's why we can pick our animals. The dragons could be many things, but we only got a "diluted" version of their power. So there, does that sum it up for you?" Dahlia asked, looking intently at Peter. He was still looking at the three girls in shock.  
  
"Dr-dra-drag-dragons?" Dahlia just nodded.  
  
"Just nod your head "yes", Peter," Alex told him as the others started to laugh. Peter nodded his head, that look of stupidity still on his face. Just then, a voice popped up from out of the back.  
  
"Hey! What about me? Don't I count?" It belonged to a young girl who stood near Leah. Peter stared stupidly at her.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked, still staring. She stared at him with a cold look in her navy-blue eyes. Her long, wavy hair was a slight copper color. When Peter looked closer, he saw dark streaks, like stripes, running through it.  
  
"I'm really no one important. Just the person that Dahlia got her shape from. My name is Silver Virgata," she introduced, making a dramatic bow to the others.  
  
"The person that Dahlia took her shape from? How is that possible?" Peter asked, that glazed look coming back into his eyes. Dahlia just rolled her eyes.  
  
"I guess I have to explain it one more time." Angel nodded for her to continue. "As I said before, the First House doesn't have a set animal. We look at all sorts of animals before we take an impression of one and make it ours. Sometimes our genes modify the impression, but it's a pretty close match," Peter was visibly trying to accept all of this information.  
  
"You all talk about this stuff like it happens everyday," he finally said, looking around the room. They all just stared at him like he had five heads. Angel lost her patience and screamed.  
  
"Of course we talk like it's a normal thing! Because it is! To US! Why can't you humans understand that?" she wondered, whirling around to face him. Leah started to say that she understood, but Skye put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Not now, Leah. Angel's having too much fun ranting and raving," she noted, motioning to where Peter sat rigid in the chair while Angel kept on talking.  
  
"...And another thing. Do you think we enjoy hiding here? This was our world long before you little vermin showed up! Why can't you accept the fact that the monsters in your closet really do exist?" she finished, grabbing the front of his shirt and hoisting him off the chair. She lifted him high enough that his feet were a few inches off the ground. John broke the long silence that followed her outburst.  
  
"Excuse me, but I think that the boogey-man lives in your closet. Not vampires and what-not," he said as Angel dropped Peter to the floor with a THUD!  
  
"What-not? Is that what you think we are? What-not?" Dahlia demanded threateningly as John took a step back.  
  
"Both of you, quit it," Lyca chided, glaring at them. Dahlia was going to argue, but decided to save it for another time.  
  
"Listen, when are the others coming?" Silver asked, sitting on a chair.  
  
"What others? Aren't you enough?" Corinne asked, shooting a look at Angel. Leah supplied the needed info.  
  
"We're waiting for Marik and Austin Tyler to get here. Marik is bringing a good friend of his. Her name is Melody Allbright. She's a witch, so maybe you three could talk to her?" Leah said, pointing to Skye, Kat, and Amy. Kat and Amy smiled at each other. Another witch! Skye was thinking, trying to remember where she had heard that name. Something about Hunters and Circle Daybreak... Oh well, no sense in worrying about it now.  
  
"Is there anyone else you want to tell us about, so we won't be shocked later?" Jake asked. He knew that Redferns, especially Angel, made friends with many different people. But this was ridiculous!  
  
"Actually there is one other person. Her name is Gepard Lowen," Silver added, looking at Bobbi., and she realized what it meant. Gepard was a 'shifter!  
  
"Isn't "Gepard" German for cheetah?" Alan asked as Matt laughed at him.  
  
"Yeah, it is. You're getting better with German everyday!"  
  
"Shut-up loud-mouth!" Alan shot back.  
  
"Du is blod," Matt retorted, a smile on his face.  
  
"Dumkopf," Alan shot back, glaring at him.  
  
"Scheis..." Matt started, before Tyrna clapped a hand over his mouth.  
  
"Silencio!" she said in Italian, releasing him. He and Alan both listened. Corinne was going to say something really, really nasty in German, but thought it would come in handy later.  
  
"Anyway! When are they all supposed to get here?" Kat asked. A voice from the doorway made them all turn around.  
  
"To answer your question, I quote something famous: "Lucy, I'm home!" The last Circle Starlight members have arrived." The girl whom it belonged to stepped into the room, followed by three more figures who stayed in the shadows.  
  
"You must be Gepard," Mike greeted extending his hand. She shook it and surveyed the rest of the group.  
  
"That's my name, don't wear it out!" she replied, pushing her sunshine- blonde hair back. It hung full in her face. When it hung all down her back again, her grass-green eyes could be seen. She motioned for the three other figures to come inside. The two boys were stunningly similar. The other girl stayed partially in shadow, so that her face was hidden from view. Angel gave the boys a warm smile.  
  
"May I present to you Marik and Austin Tyler. And I think Melody is hiding back there," she told them as Marik went back and tried to talk Melody into coming out. Marik was the taller of the Tyler brothers. His dark-brown hair looked black when he moved out of the light. And his smoky-gray eyes held a look of timelessness and wisdom. Austin was the shorter, and therefore younger of the two. He had dirty-blonde hair and an intense look in his brown eyes. Meanwhile, Marik was gently dragging Melody into the light. She had long, wavy, dark-brown hair that hung midway down her back. Her watery- blue eyes sparkled in the light. When Peter and Patrick saw her, they gasped and quickly shifted into a fighting stance. Melody did the same when she saw the boys.  
  
"What is going on here?" Leah demanded, looking from Melody to Peter and Patrick and back again.  
  
"That girl! You can't trust her! We should kill her now!" Peter replied, staring straight at Leah, who looked slightly shocked. Marik shifted into a fighting position when he heard the words.  
  
"And why would we do a stupid thing like that?" he wanted to know, glaring at the others and instinctively assessing any means of escape. Angel was also shocked that they would want to kill Melody, whom they didn't even know.  
  
"Yes, why do you want to kill Melody?" she asked in her You better give me a good explanation before I rip your sniveling little heads off! voice. Patrick looked straight into her eyes when he told her why.  
  
"Because she's a traitor! She was one of the Hunters that brought us to the hideout!" Melody's breath caught in her throat as the entire group turned to stare at her, mixtures of shock, amazement, and horror on their faces. Marik was the only one who didn't look strangely at her.  
  
"We can explain," he said quietly, hanging his head. Skye looked at him, then at Melody, who was twisting her hands in nervousness. She then looked at the others. Leah and Angel were talking in hushed whispers to Lyca. Silver, Bobbi, and Mike were staring at Melody in horror. All of the Night Raiders had shifted into fighting positions. Kat and Amy looked ashamed of their fellow witch. Sage was struck speechless, and simply stood there. Jake, Luke, and Amber remained where they were, looks of amazement in their eyes. Dahlia stared wide-eyed at the young witch. Gepard's jaw dropped, but she quickly closed it again. Austin stared thunder-struck at his brother and friend.  
  
"I think that you had better start at the beginning." Skye said gently, putting a comforting hand on Melody's shoulder. Melody looked up at the older witch and nodded. She took a deep breath and began to tell her story. One that started before the Night Raiders or Circle Starlight had even thought about forming into a group. 


	9. Confused yet?

Chapter 9  
  
"I was part of Circle Daybreak a few years back. My job was to go with an ambassador group and try and make peace with the Hunters. In doing so, we ended up telling them a little too much about the Night World. One day, we were jumped by some rogue vampires. They killed all but two of us. Myself and Clint, who was ten at the time. They left us when a hunting party saw them and gave chase. I was grateful to them, but I couldn't join them and hunt down my friends. Marik and I met at a Circle Midnight meeting, and he told me about you guys and Circle Starlight. He said that I would be a good spy for you, if I could get myself accepted as a Hunter. I did, but to tell you the truth, I've never killed anyone before. Marik and I were the only ones who knew what I was doing, but now you know too. So, am I forgiven? I didn't know that Peter and Patrick were part of this group, or I would have told them in private at the Hunter's hideout." Marik backed her up.  
  
"She really had no place to go. She and Gepard are living together in an apartment. I'd take her in, but Austin might get jealous," he teased as Austin almost choked when he got Marik's little "message".  
  
"Oh very funny. Like I'd pull that on any girl?" Gepard just laughed.  
  
"What do you say guys? Do we accept her, or run her through?" Alex asked, a smile on his face. The others pretended to be pondering a difficult question. Finally, Amy spoke up.  
  
"Sure, why not?" she said, coming up to Melody. Peter and Patrick were the last ones to stand up from a ready-to-fight stance. They still didn't trust this girl. Angel relaxed. The crisis was over for now. John's eyes were roaming over Gepard, Austin, Marik, and Melody. All of a sudden, he got a weird gleam in his eyes.  
  
"I know why you're so friendly with each other. I bet you four are soulmates," he said, proud that he had "detected" the signs. Gepard suddenly started laughing hysterically. Austin folded his arms over his chest and just looked at John like You're kidding, right? Marik smiled at Melody, who blushed and turned away.  
  
"Actually John, they're not soulmates. What they have is better than being eternally joined," Sage explained, regaining his voice. Alex looked confused.  
  
"If they don't have a soulmate bond, what do they have?" he asked, staring at the two couples. Leah answered him softly, a warm smile coming to her face.  
  
"They have love," she said simply. "Or at least Marik and Melody do. Austin... We're really not sure of yet." Corinne, Bobbi, and Gepard all pretended to gag as Tyrna, Amber, and Melody sent them black looks.  
  
"So now what do we do? We have three spies, and one very impatient Hunter Redfern," Luke reminded everyone. All eyes immediately centered on Angel, Dahlia, Skye, Lyca, and Leah.  
  
"I say we blow this place and catch us some fast food," Dahlia suggested. Peter jumped in with his usual dumb comment.  
  
"Cool, I like McDonald's...Burger King...Domino's...Chinese?" he said, when they all looked at him. Angel put her head in her hands and slowly counted to ten before looking at him again.  
  
"She means that we should go hunting," Lyca told him. Peter then realized what she meant.  
  
"If it's all right with everyone else, we witches that aren't vampires will just go outside for some fresh air. Oh, and Leah too," Kat said. They walked out of the room and up the stairs. Once outside, all the hunters transformed. Bobbi felt herself shrinking and strengthening. Mike felt his tail growing as he stood on four legs. Stripes ran down Silver's body as Dahlia grew whiskers on her face. Lilli's arms widened and grew feathers. Gepard's body was covered with black dots, and Jake seemed to glow as white hair covered him. Sage faded into the night as black hair sprouted all over his body. Lyca kicked off her shirt as her hands disappeared. She already had a gray wolf's body underneath. Angel's eyes glowed a deep violet, then a light blue, and then a burnt-amber. Corinne's eyes became filled with a hunting light. Tyrna's hands looked like a cat's claws. Alex and Amy seemed to grow taller. Alan and Matt looked as if they could tear someone apart with their bare hands. John's body seemed to bulk up even further, and Patrick seemed to get even skinnier. Luke felt his canines extend. Amber's eyes were no longer blue, or even ice-blue. Instead, they were just ICE. Austin felt as if a river of strength was flowing through him. Marik's pupils dilated like a cat's, giving him better night-vision. When all the changes were complete, two tigers, a bobcat, a mountain lion, a cheetah, a falcon, three wolves, and thirteen vampires were standing where once a group of "humans" had been. Sage turned to Peter and used telepathy to talk to him.  
  
'Want to come hunting with me?' he asked, sounding exactly like someone asking you to play Nintendo with them. Peter hesitated, but finally answered.  
  
"Okay, I'll come. I'm going to have to hunt on my own in a few days anyway." Angel just gave a short laugh.  
  
"Sure vermin. Whatever you say," she teased, taking off for the woods. The others split up accordingly. Corinne and Alan went down a bike trail, while Tyrna and Matt jumped into the trees. Silver and Lyca ran off down a weed- strewn path, while Dahlia followed Angel. Jake trotted into some bushes and disappeared. Sage headed up the hill, and Peter followed him at a run. Patrick and John scrambled into the lower tree-cover. Amber and Luke walked calmly into the valley. Alex and Amy ran across the meadow. Gepard and Austin just took off running. Lilli spread her wings and took to the sky. Bobbi and Mike took a winding trail towards a small lake. Marik climbed up some nearby boulders and headed up a mountain trail.  
  
"When will they be back?" Kat asked. Skye shrugged.  
  
"I suppose they'll return when they're done eating," Leah put in. All the other girls then said as one:  
  
"Aahh. Good point, Leah."  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
They were all in a serious debate about the Wild Powers when everyone started coming back. Angel and Dahlia -in human form- emerged from the trees. Lilli touched down and changed back. Marik came jogging down the rocky trail, wiping the blood off his mouth. Jake, Alex, and Amy broke through the underbrush, racing to the tree. Gepard and Austin came walking back, both voicing their opinions on Circle Daybreak. Amber and Luke walked back arm in arm, looking like an ordinary teen couple in the moonlight. Patrick and John jumped down from the trees. Silver and Lyca, both in shifted form, walked calmly up from the woods. Tyrna and Matt strode out of the woods, wiping the blood off their hands and onto their clothes. Corinne and Alan came tearing down the bike trail chasing a chipmunk, who evaded them and zipped down a hole. Sage and Peter came down from the hill, Sage looking at Peter with a Never again look. Peter's face was a very pale white. Bobbi and Mike came back from the lake. Both of them were soaking wet. Angel held up her hand for attention. "First off, I want to know why you two are dripping wet." she said, pointing to Bobbi and Mike. They just looked at each other and shrugged.  
  
"We were fishing," Bobbi explained as Amber started giggling.  
  
"Yeah right. What did you do, fall in?" Luke asked as Mike turned red. The others all started to laugh.  
  
"As a matter of fact, we went for a big trout at the same time. We mixed up our claws and fell in," Mike replied.  
  
"Next, I would really love to hear how Peter was during the hunt, Sage," Angel continued, grinning from ear to ear in devilish delight. Peter squirmed uncomfortably and Sage hesitated before answering.  
  
"Well, for a human he did... Okay. But he still needs practice."  
  
"What happened out there, Sage?" Austin asked, looking eager to know. Again, Sage hesitated.  
  
"I spotted a three-point buck. Really big animal for how young it was. Anyway, I jumped it and killed it. Peter turned a little pale during the attack, but that's natural. Then when I was eating he threw up! But then again, I guess that's a normal human reaction," he said as the entire group burst out in hysterical laughter.  
  
"You threw up?" Gepard asked, barely getting the words out.  
  
"Gross!" Corinne and Alan yelled together. Leah tried to talk calmly, but even she was laughing.  
  
"Sage, I don't throw up when I see an animal or vampire feeding," she reminded him. Angel and Dahlia laughed even harder.  
  
"But Leah, we never said you were a normal human," Dahlia replied, trying to suppress her laughter. Leah reflected on this for a moment, and then decided that Dahlia was right.  
  
"So what were you little magick-makers debating about so loudly?" Matt asked, facing the witches.  
  
"We were talking about the Wild Powers," Skye answered.  
  
"What about them?" Amber asked, sitting cross-legged on the grass. The others followed her example.  
  
"We were trying to figure out who they might be," Melody said, getting comfortable next to Marik.  
  
"Isn't one of them supposed to be the Witch Child?" Tyrna wondered, joining in the discussion.  
  
"Witch Child? Who's that?" Peter asked, always curious.  
  
"The Witch Child is a young girl who's a complete innocent. She's also supposed to marry the son of the First House of Shape-shifters." Amy told him. Peter looked at Dahlia.  
  
"The son? That means that you're..." he left off there, using his hands to ask her if she was pregnant. Angel would've hit him, but Dahlia got there first. Peter slowly got up from the ground and crawled the few feet back to his spot. A red hand print was already showing on his face. Dahlia was fuming.  
  
"You sick bastard! The son of the First House is my brother! I'm daughter of the First House! Do I look pregnant to you?" Peter slowly shook his head.  
  
"No, but you look human, so how can I tell?" he added, rubbing the side of his face. Sage decided to back his friend up.  
  
"Actually, being a human, he doesn't know whose parents are who, who has cousins here, and so on. Its perfectly logical for Peter to assume that Dahlia, as a female member of the First House, would have a son that would be promised to the Witch Child." Angel sent him an evil look.  
  
"Do us all a favor, Sage. Don't go there." Sage decided to shut up.  
  
"Okay. Now that we've all had a little fun, I'll ask my question again. What are we going to do about the Hunters?" Luke asked. The others considered his question. Melody then spoke up.  
  
"We'll go back to them tomorrow and tell them a place where a "meeting" of Circle Midnight will take place. When they show up, we'll be ready," she suggested, smiling a little evil smile. Angel nodded her head in agreement.  
  
"That sounds like a good idea. You'll tell them tomorrow morning, then tomorrow night, we'll have our little fight with them," she added.  
  
"I suggest we get at least some sleep tonight. That way, we'll be fully rested for tomorrow," Leah proposed.  
  
"Are you going to fight, Leah?" Jake asked, looking at the human girl. She just shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"We'll see." Alex opened the door and they all descended the stairs. Angel, Lilli, and Kat went into their room to sleep. Gepard, Corrine, and Bobbi decided to share Bobbi's room. Mike went in with Alan and Austin. Amber moved her stuff into Tyrna's room, and Melody joined them as well. Matt and Luke dropped their stuff in Marik's room. Amy, Skye, and Silver took control of a room. Lyca and Leah decided to sleep in Dahlia's room. Sage, Jake, and Peter slept in their original room, and Alex moved in with Patrick and John. Climbing into their beds, they were all soon fast asleep, dreaming about the glorious day ahead. 


	10. Love in all the wrong places

Chapter 10  
  
A soft rapping sound awoke Angel. She opened the door and let Tyrna, Amber, and Melody in. Kat woke up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Good morning," she greeted as Lilli awoke and stretched.  
  
"Morning guys," Tyrna replied, sitting down in a chair.  
  
"Guys? Where?" Lilli asked, looking around. When they realized she was joking, they all started laughing.  
  
"Speaking of guys, who wants to go wake them up?" Angel wondered. She no sooner spoke, then all the girls had bolted from the room. Kat decided to wake up Bobbi, Corinne, and Gepard.  
  
"What?" Corinne nearly shouted, throwing the door open.  
  
"Wake up the boys, we have work to do," Kat told her.  
  
"Why didn't you say that in the first place?" Gepard demanded as they vacated the room. Sneaking in quietly, the girls entered Austin, Alan, and Mike's room. Corinne picked up a pillow and began beating Alan. He woke up screaming.  
  
"Hit the dirt! We're under attack!" As the two other boys woke up, Gepard and Bobbi hit them as well.  
  
"Pillow fight!" Bobbi shouted as the boys grabbed pillows and started swinging. Soon the room was a mass of flying feathers. In the meantime, Tyrna, Amber, and Melody had gotten in to Matt, Luke, and Marik's room. Running over to Matt's bed, Tyrna began jumping on it. Matt awoke with a start.  
  
"Stop that." he commanded, smiling at her. She kept jumping anyway.  
  
"Make me," she taunted, returning his smile. With one quick move, Matt grabbed Tyrna and pulled her down. Both of them were laughing. Amber moved over to Luke. She sat down next to him and gently shook him. He rolled over and lazily opened his eyes.  
  
"Morning already?"  
  
"Get up, lazy. We have work to do." Melody crept over to where Marik lay bundled up. She laughed as she yanked the covers off. He opened his eyes and looked straight at her.  
  
"It's too early," he whined, sitting up.  
  
"Get up anyway. We need you for the meeting."  
  
"We're going. We're going," he insisted, pulling clothes out of a drawer. The girls left them to get dressed. Kat and Lilli knocked on Skye, Silver, and Amy's door. A musical voice called out to them.  
  
"Coming! Hold on a second," Skye said, opening the door.  
  
"Amy, help us wake the boys up." Lilli said, practically dragging the sleepy girl out of her bed and down the hall.  
  
"Why?" she asked, still not totally awake. Lilli parked her in front of the room where Alex, John, and Peter were sleeping.  
  
"Because we have to go. The other CM members are waiting for us, and we shouldn't be late," Kat explained as she and Lilli walked in to Jake, Sage, and Peter's room. Kat grabbed the back of Jake's neck and squeezed. He sat bolt upright, eyes staring at Kat. When he realized it was her, he relaxed.  
  
"Oh, it's just you, Kat," he sighed, propping himself up on his elbows. She gave him a wry smile.  
  
"Good morning to you too." Lilli walked to where Sage was sleeping and knelt down beside him.  
  
"He looks like a big puppy," she said to Kat, indicating Sage, who was asleep in his wolf form. Kat smiled as Lilli scratched between Sage's ears. He rolled over and opened his eyes. When he saw Lilli, he stood up and changed to human-form. He hugged her as soon as he was fully transformed.  
  
"Morning Lilli."  
  
"Morning Sage." He walked to over to Peter's bed and shook his friend. An angry voice came from under the pillow.  
  
"Go away! I'm tired!" he yelled. Sage shook him again. Peter didn't budge.  
  
"Just leave him," Silver said, poking her head in the door. Sage and Jake shrugged and began to search for some clothes. Kat and Lilli went with Silver to wake up Dahlia, Lyca, and Leah.  
  
"Wake up in there!" Kat called out as Silver knocked.  
  
"We're up already! Be out in a minute," Lyca's voice said through the door. A second later all three girls came out, fully dressed and ready. They decided to and check on how Amy was doing.  
  
"Get up!" Amy was ordering Alex.  
  
"No!" he replied, still under the sheets.  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"No!" Amy said suddenly.  
  
"Yes!.. Hey wait, you tricked me!" Alex shouted, getting out of bed.  
  
"Yes I did. But it got you up, didn't it?" she said, hands on her hips. He just smiled and nodded. John and Patrick were already dressed, having woken up when the blonde first came in.  
  
"Well now that we're all up-" Leah began, before Silver cut her off.  
  
"Not all of us. The little vermin is still asleep." Dahlia gave an evil smile and went to get Angel. After whispering together for a moment, they walked quietly into the room where Peter was. They stood silent for a good five minutes beside his bed. Then without warning, they tipped the bed over!  
  
"Rise and shine vermin!" they shouted together as the bed went over and landed on its side. Peter was thrown from it and rolled against the wall.  
  
"Aaahhh!" he screamed, sitting straight up. As his eyes came into focus, he saw everyone laughing at him. Even Sage couldn't help but laugh at him. "Very funny," he said, standing up and brushing himself off.  
  
"Actually, it was!" Austin added, tears of laughter coming into his eyes. Peter got dressed in the closet while they calmed down.  
  
"Now we have everyone." Leah said, as they made their way to the main meeting room. Half of the CM members were already there. It wasn't long before everyone was there. Hunter Redfern stood up and started the meeting.  
  
"As you all know, the human that is among us has become a spy with the Hunters. I have been told of their plan and will now share it with you.  
  
Today, the hunters will be told about a fake meeting of Circle Midnight. Tonight, a small group will meet our adversaries, and crush them!" he said, as the room shook with loud cheers and thunderous applause. Hunter stood silently, waiting for the noise to die down. When it did, he continued speaking. "It's not over yet. We still need to assemble a fighting team to challenge them. Any volunteers?" he asked, looking into the crowd. Angel's hand shot into the air. Dahlia, Lyca, Leah, Skye, and Silver followed her lead. The Night Raiders all volunteered together. The other members of Circle Starlight, including Peter, all put their hands up. Gepard, Melody, and the Tylers were chosen as well. In the end, it was all of them plus Kelsey, Iris, and... Rain!  
  
"I'll join you. It'll be a pleasure to kill some little human pests. Not to mention see you all fall flat on your faces." she said, smiling vainly at them. Amber muttered something under her breath, but Rain didn't hear her. As they ascended the stairs, Luke saw that Amber was walking very far away from her cousin.  
  
"What did you say about her?" he asked, coming up beside her.  
  
"I said that she better watch herself, or she'll be the one flat on her face. With a nice, pointy stake in her chest," Amber replied, completely serious. Luke saw that her eyes were flashing angrily at Rain. He just hoped that Rain didn't strike Amber down with thunder and lightening. Melody gripped Marik's hand tightly as they went up the dark stairwell.  
  
"You nervous?" he asked, looking at her. She nodded, her eyes meeting his. "I'm not just nervous. I'm scared." Marik held her tightly as they  
  
kept climbing. They reached the door and cautiously opened it. When they were all outside, Melody, Peter, and Patrick walked to the Hunter's house.  
  
"I hope they'll be okay," Gepard said, watching them walk into the valley.  
  
"They should be. The Hunters have no reason to suspect them of befriending the "enemy"," Angel assured her. Rain gave an impolite snort.  
  
"Let's just hope that your little witch friend doesn't feel sorry for the pathetic vermin and back out," she commented as the others just looked at her.  
  
"Watch yourself vampire, or you'll learn first-hand how powerful Melody is," Skye shot back. When Rain just laughed, the others went to set up for the "meeting". As she followed them, Rain couldn't help but gaze into the valley. For some dumb reason, she was worried about Peter, the little vermin. Shaking her head to clear it, she put those thoughts away. She was lamia, for crying out loud! She couldn't be in love with a human, could she?.. 


	11. Preparing for the battle

Chapter 11  
  
"I'm glad you two came to talk to us directly about this. Now we'll see who's vermin." Drake said, after hearing the boys' story.  
  
"How did you get in, Peter?" Clint asked, meaning it was obvious that Peter was a human, and wouldn't be respected.  
  
"I said that I was a lost witch. Because I'm psychic, they believed me." he replied. He looked over at Melody, who was standing in the back and not saying anything. Julie came up behind Drake.  
  
"When is the meeting planned for?" she wanted to know, putting a silver dagger in her belt-holder.  
  
"It's supposed to start at six o'clock and go till midnight. It's at six because it'll just be getting dark by then," Patrick answered. Melody looked at her watch and then spoke up.  
  
"That's seven hours away. What do we do until then?" Drake smiled as he led Peter and Patrick into a cavernous room. One wall was completely covered with every weapon imaginable. There were swords, knives, daggers, sais, bats, staffs, axes, bows and arrows, chains, and even some guns. On the other side of the room was a small underground lake for swimming. The middle of the room was where most of the action was. Punching and kicking bags hung from the ceiling. A ring was set up for boxing. Other hunters were sparring using different styles of martial arts. An obstacle course, complete with walls, nets, high ropes, fences, hurdles, windows, and cardboard targets was positioned all around the room. The two boys' eyes were bugging out, and their jaws hung nearly to the floor. Melody closed their mouths for them as she went past.  
  
"Where are you going, Melody?" Clint called out.  
  
"To the obstacle course!" she called back. Clint shrugged and walked to some archery targets. Pulling an arrow back in the bow, he fired it straight into the bullseye of the nearest target, which was twenty feet away. Taking no pause in between, he let fly with another arrow. This one sailed at least forty feet before hitting the bullseye of a second target. Their mouths hanging open again, Peter and Patrick decided to work on their sparring with a few of the other hunters. Patrick proved difficult to beat because of his vampire powers, and Peter was tricky because he used his psychic abilities to see what his opponent's next move would be. Patrick couldn't keep his eyes off Julie, who was swimming laps in the pool. Stopping to rest, he pointed her out to Peter.  
  
"She's pretty, isn't she?" His friend looked at her and whistled softly.  
  
"She sure is. But don't forget Patrick, she's a Hunter."  
  
"So what? I still like her. Isn't there someone that you like?" Peter looked at his feet and rubbed the toe of his shoe across the floor.  
  
"Well. There is someone that has caught my attention," he answered, still looking at the floor. Patrick immediately became interested.  
  
"Well who is it? Is she from Circle Midnight?" Peter made sure that no one else was within earshot before he answered.  
  
"It's Rain," he told him as he watched Patrick's face go from curious, to amazed, to horrified in three seconds flat.  
  
"RAIN?" he shouted, before Peter clamped a hand over his mouth.  
  
"Yes, I like Rain. Don't ask me why. I just do."  
  
"How could you like her? She's so, so... Evil. She wants to kill you!"  
  
"I know that. But I like her all the same. She's got those sapphire eyes that I could drown in. And I want to run my fingers through her silky, black hair," Peter said, shivering as he thought about it. Patrick shuddered at the thought.  
  
"Well I hate to burst your bubble, but she hates you. She's lamia, and you're human." He knew that Patrick was telling the truth, but he liked Rain. He liked her even more than Angel, and he liked Angel a lot. Melody came over, wiping her sweat-drenched hair out of her eyes.  
  
"Hey guys. What are you discussing over here?"  
  
"Peter likes Amber's cousin, Rain." Melody gave a little involuntary gasp.  
  
"You've got to be kidding me! You really like that little vampire?" she asked, looking at Peter. He nodded.  
  
"Yes, I like Rain! What is the problem with that?" he demanded, stopping himself from yelling.  
  
"Well, there's no real problem. You can like her. As long as you don't mind your girlfriend trying to kill you all the time," Melody told him.  
  
"Hey, wouldn't be any different from me liking Angel," Peter shot back. Patrick nodded, knowing that he was in the that situation himself.  
  
"Whatever," Melody said simply, as she stood up to leave.  
  
"Wait Melody, maybe you can help me. What did Marik do when he knew that you liked him?" Peter asked. Melody faced him, hands on her hips.  
  
"Marik and I were close friends before we liked each other. And with us, there's no big rule about loving someone who's human. My relationship is totally different from yours." Patrick tried to smooth things out.  
  
"Couldn't you give him some kind of love potion? Or maybe give him a spell to make her like him?" Melody sighed and relaxed.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I don't even think that a Forbidden Spell of love would help with Rain. She's just too cruel to love anyone, especially a human," she stated as she headed for the lake. Peter looked devastated. He decided to drown his sorrows with a dip in the lake. They only had four hours left before the showdown anyway.  
  
Peter and Patrick climbed out of the lake with an hour to spare before it was time to go. They pulled their shirts over their heads, and watched Melody and Julie talking on the side. Both of the girls were wearing one piece swimsuits. Drake came into the room and walked over to Julie. He whispered something to her as Melody got up to go change. Julie stood up and walked with Drake into a remote corner. When they were done talking, Drake came over to the two boys.  
  
"What's up, Drake?" Peter asked, a little nervous.  
  
"We got word from the surface that the freaks are already there. What do you say we go up there and kick some ass?" he replied, rubbing his hands together in delight. Stepping into their shoes and grabbing some daggers off the wall, they ran to join the others. Melody was there, a bow in her hand and a quiver of arrows on her back. She winked at the boys as they came up. Julie was ready, stake in hand. Clint held a spear with a silver tip tightly in his hand. Drake held a bo with a sharp wooden end on one side, and a silver one on the other.  
  
"Can we go now, Drake?" Clint begged, excited about his first big hunt. Drake nodded at him, and then raised his voice so the other twenty-five Hunters would be able to hear him.  
  
"Move out!" he shouted, motioning towards the elevator. It took two times with the elevator, and then they were all on the surface. As the Hunters raced towards the "meeting place", Peter, Patrick, and Melody became nervous. Patrick was wondering if he would have to kill his beloved Julie, Peter was wondering if he would have to kill his fellow humans, and Melody was wondering if she would have to kill at all. Her grip on the bow tightened as she thought of Marik. She couldn't let him down. Racing through the woods, all three of them hoped that the plan would succeed. On the other side of the woods, the others were preparing for the Hunters arrival. Lilli and Kelsey alerted them that the hunters were coming, and changed back to human-form as soon as they landed. Making themselves scarce, they waited for the Hunters to come. This would be a battle none of them would ever forget. 


	12. Love conquers all? Well, at least in MY ...

Chapter 12  
  
The Hunters raced through the underbrush until Drake gave the signal to stop. "Halt!" he shouted, raising his hand. They all stopped and waited. "Peter, Patrick, where exactly is this place?" he asked as the two boys came forward.  
  
"It should be right through these trees. There's a clearing up ahead that's really big." Peter answered, pointing to a spot through the trees. Moving quietly, the group entered the clearing. A podium was set up at one end, and some wooden benches were stacked against some trees. But there was no sign of Circle Midnight.  
  
"Where are they?" Julie wondered, rotating her stake in her hand. Melody had backed herself up against a tree. She sent a telepathic message to the boys.  
  
'Get away from the center. Back up against the trees. Everyone is here and they're waiting for us to get out of the way.' Not wasting any time, they stood back to back and edged away from the group. When they were safely away, they looked around. Drake saw them and was puzzled.  
  
"Hey! What are you guys doing?" he questioned as the other Hunters looked around at the trees with a slight tension.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Patrick replied as a primal scream erupted from the trees. Angel landed in front of the human and vampire.  
  
"Now that's what I call an entrance," Peter noted as he smiled at Angel. The Hunters just looked confused.  
  
"What is going on here?" Clint yelled, staring at Angel, who smiled. Throwing back her head, she gave a call into the surrounding woods.  
  
"ATTACK!" she yelled as the rest of the group came to join the party. Marik jumped down beside Melody and smiled at her. Drake looked at the enemies before him and then gave an order to his troops.  
  
"GET THEM!" he ordered, charging at Angel. The battle was on as the two sides collided with each other in a frenzy of fighting.  
  
* * *  
  
"You witches start doing something magick. Protect any of the injured ones," John ordered, running by. Skye, Leah, and Kat backed themselves up against the trees, where they could see everything. Amy dove into the fighting behind Alex. Melody put an arrow to her bow and waited to use it. Angel was dodging Drake, who kept trying to skewer her on his bo.  
  
"Missed me!" she kept telling him, all the while keeping her eye on him. She wanted to see what he could do, and she was analyzing him for a weakness. Finally, he threw the bo down and ran at her. She smoothly stepped out of the way and tripped him. He fell flat on his back, and the wind was knocked out of him. Angel used this moment to jump onto him. Looking into his eyes, she gave him a final message. "You never should've messed with the Night World, pathetic vermin," she told him as her canines extended. His eyes widened in terror as she bent his neck back and bit. He tried to fight her, but she held on. In a matter of minutes, he was as dry as a puddle on a hot summer day. Julie looked up from where she was battling Dahlia and screamed. Throwing her adversary to the ground, she came running at Angel with her stake held high. Patrick took off running to intercept her.  
  
"You filthy demon! You killed my brother!" Julie yelled, coming closer to Angel, who just looked at the boy she had killed.  
  
"Oops," she said, putting her hand to her mouth in mock guilt. Julie was almost on her when Patrick tackled her from the other direction.  
  
"NO!" he shouted, pinning her to the ground. She struggled in his grasp, kicking and squirming feebly.  
  
"Let me go! She killed Drake!" He refused to budge.  
  
"I can't let you kill Angel," he stated, looking into her hazel-green eyes.  
  
"Why not?" she demanded, hate and rage flaring in them.  
  
"Because I'm one of them. Because she'll probably kill you. And because... I love you," he told her, dragging her up so they were a few inches apart. Julie stared at him, and then began to sob, her face buried beneath her thick red hair. Patrick picked her up and carried her over to Skye, Leah, and Kat. After tying her to a tree, he stood up and addressed Skye. "Watch her for me, okay?" he asked, looking at Julie, who was still crying.  
  
"Why?" Skye asked as she looked at him, completely bewildered.  
  
"I'll explain later." Kat shook her head as she stared at the human girl.  
  
"I will never understand made-vampires."  
  
* * *  
  
In the meantime, John and Sage were busy trying to outwit a couple of Hunters. "I though I'd never have to deal with this again," John said, remembering the last time he'd been up against Hunters.  
  
"Live and learn," Sage told him as he changed to a wolf. Using the Hunters' momentary confusion, he leaped onto one. The young boy screamed and tried to hit Sage with a silver dagger, but only succeeded in grazing his shoulder. John watched as Sage bit into the boy's neck. Blood came spurting out, and within minutes it was over. John's opponent was so shocked that he didn't even try to block the young vampire from ripping his throat out. Sage shifted back and held his shoulder where the knife had hit.  
  
"I never thought you were the type to kill," John commented as he proceeded to suck the blood from the Hunter.  
  
"He used a silver knife on me. I had every right to kill him. Besides, you can't be nice to humans all the time," Sage replied, examining his shoulder, only to find that the wound wasn't serious.  
  
* * *  
  
Austin and Gepard were having a ball. They were up against a boy and girl team, and the girl seemed to be afraid of cheetahs. Or maybe she was scared because Gepard was in cheetah form and looked hungry. "Just jump her!" Austin yelled as he whirled and punched. Gepard gave the girl a nasty smile.  
  
'Dinner time!' she told the girl as she took a flying leap. The girl screamed shrilly as Gepard ripped into her. The screams finally stopped when Gepard snapped her neck. Before she could completely tear into the body, the other Hunter fell on top of her. It took her a second to realize that he was dead. Austin had used his own weapon against him, plunging the wooden stake deep into his chest.  
  
"I hate Hunters," Austin told her, wiping his hands on his jeans. Gepard looked up from her meal to stare into his eyes.  
  
'Tell me about it.'  
  
* * *  
  
Tyrna and Matt were enjoying themselves. The two boys they were fighting were proving to be very worthy opponents. "They probably study judo," Matt guessed after getting flipped onto his back by one of them. Tyrna smiled as the other boy came running at her.  
  
"Good. I like a challenge," she added catching the boy and slamming his head into the ground. His skull cracked like an eggshell. Matt looked at the scene, all the while watching his Hunter.  
  
"I've always admired how you handle strange men," he complimented, jumping out of the way of a sword.  
  
"Thank you. But I'm usually not this messy," Tyrna replied as she motioned to him to watch it. And not a moment too soon. The sword came down on Matt's arm, cutting a deep gash. He stopped and stared at the Hunter.  
  
"Now will you look at what you did. You ripped my nice shirt," he joked, allowing his canines to extend. His arm was already healing when he jumped onto the boy. Using his teeth, Matt ripped into the base of his neck. Blood spurted out as the major artery was severed. The boy floundered helplessly for a few moments, and then lay still. He was dead.  
  
"And I thought I was messy," Tyrna teased as Matt looked at her. His entire face was covered with blood. Laughing as she wiped the blood off his face, Tyrna kept an eye on the battle in case more Hunters came their way.  
  
* * *  
  
Amy and Alex were annoying their adversaries. Amy would jump and Alex would duck to avoid their daggers. Not that the metal would've hurt them, but they wanted to keep their clothes in one piece. "You Hunters couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!" Alex taunted, swinging up into the trees.  
  
"Come down here and fight like a man!" the boy shouted to him.  
  
"Whatever you say!" Alex told him, leaping onto the boy's back. As he swung the dagger, Alex avoided it. The weapon hit the Hunter full in the back. Gasping, the boy fell to the ground. A second later, blood welled up in his mouth and he was dead. Amy was crouched on the ground, motioning for the girl to come closer. Being a stupid human, she couldn't resist. When she was within range, Amy leaped straight up. As she came down, she did a snap kick to the girl's head. As her head flew back, a loud SNAP! was heard as her neck broke. She hit the ground and spilled over like a rag doll.  
  
"Pathetic," Amy said, rolling the body over with her foot. "Simply pathetic."  
  
* * *  
  
"I'm going to get you, you filthy demon trash!" a girl screamed at Amber.  
  
"Flattery will get you nowhere," she said politely, shifting into a fighting stance. She and Luke stood back to back, each of them facing a girl Hunter.  
  
"You get the ugly one," Luke whispered loudly so the Hunters could hear.  
  
"Which one's the ugly one?" Amber asked in the same tone of voice. Sure enough, their trick worked. Both of the girls had spears, and they came charging full speed at the couple. When they were about two feet away, Luke gave the signal.  
  
"Jump!" he shouted as he and Amber leaped high and caught some low tree branches. By the time the Hunters realized what had happened, it was too late. Carried along by their own momentum, they impaled each other. Their eyes wide in astonishment, they slumped down dead.  
  
"Ouch!" Amber said, grimacing. Luke nodded in agreement.  
  
* * *  
  
Alan and Corinne clasped hands as they faced their opposition: A boy and girl, both of them well built. "I'll take the guy," Corinne told him, smiling evilly.  
  
"The hell you will!" Alan shot back, teasing her.  
  
"Stop arguing and just fight!" the girl yelled at them.  
  
"Okay," they said in unison, shrugging their shoulders. Before the Hunters could react, they had tripped them up. Jumping onto them, they stared long and hard at the humans they were about to kill.  
  
"This is what happens when you fight the Night World, kids," Alan explained, biting the boy's neck. Corinne bit the girl before she could even scream.  
  
"I like this job!" she shouted as she and Alan fed on the pathetic little vermin.  
  
* * *  
  
Jake, Lilli, and Kelsey had both shifted and were working together to bring down a pair of boys. Lilli and Kelsey would attack from above and Jake would go in on the bottom when they were distracted. All was going well, until one of dying Hunters took a pistol out from under his shirt. Pointing it up, he shot Kelsey through the heart. After doing this deed, he died. Kelsey fell from the sky, changing mid-fall to land a human. Jake and Lilli also shifted when they saw the horrible act. "Kelsey!" Jake shouted. Iris stopped what she was doing and came racing over.  
  
"Kelsey! No, this can't be happening!" she screamed, holding him in her arms. He looked at her and smiled.  
  
"My darling, Iris. This is not the end for either of us. I will see you again in another life. Maybe as humans, we can live our lives in prosperity and peace," he said quietly. Jake knew then that nothing could save his life.  
  
"I love you forever and always," Iris told him, tears running down her face.  
  
"Forever and always my... Love…" Kelsey said as he gave a last shuddering breath. He died in Iris' arms. After he died, his body changed back into a majestic eagle. Jake helped Iris to stand up. She cradled the dead bird in her arms.  
  
"I'm sorry," Lilli whispered, looking at her in sympathy. Iris sniffed once, and then ran to Leah. Putting the dead 'shifter in the human girl's arms, she took off to avenge Kelsey's death.  
  
* * *  
  
Bobbi and Mike were both in shifted form, and were having fun avoiding the hunters that were chasing them 'On the count of three we do the old heave- ho! Got it?' Mike asked as Bobbi looked over and nodded. 'One... Two... THREE!' he said as they stopped short. The Hunters were running too fast to stop. With a:  
  
'Heave... HO!' coming from Bobbi, they sent the girls over their backs and onto the ground. One of the girls stood up again, but you could tell she was dizzy from hitting her head.  
  
'I got this one,' Mike called, crouching low.  
  
'Whatever,' Bobbi replied, prancing over to the other one. Mike faked left, and then dove to the right, catching the girl off guard. Her sai slipped from her grasp and fell uselessly to the ground.  
  
'Gotcha!' Mike told her, smiling as best he could. Her eyes widened in fear as he ripped her apart. Bobbi gently nudged the other girl until she woke up from being knocked out.  
  
'Rise and shine, vermin!' she sing-songed to the girl, who screamed when she saw the little bobcat standing over her. 'BOO!' Bobbi told her, biting her neck and shaking it. The girl's neck broke and her head flopped around.  
  
'I love being a 'shifter!' Mike shouted triumphantly.  
  
'You watch too many Ninja Turtles cartoons,' Bobbi informed him as she settled down to enjoy the rest of the battle.  
  
* * *  
  
Lyca and Silver were working together to bring down a duo of pesky Hunters. The boys were brandishing silver daggers, and neither of the girls wanted to get to close. "This is stupid! I say we kill them and get this over with!" Silver suggested, glaring at the Hunters. Lyca shrugged.  
  
"Fine by me," she replied as they both shifted. Lyca went for one boy's legs as soon as she was fully changed. Pinning him to the ground, she used her teeth to break his knife-wrist. When the weapon was on the ground, she ripped the kid apart. The other boy was taunting Silver, daring her to come within range.  
  
"Here kitty, kitty, kitty," he called as Silver growled at him. Her tail thumped loudly on the ground. The boy ignored it. With a simple twist, she knocked the weapon from his grasp. While he was distracted, she leaped for him, all one hundred forty-five pounds of tiger coming down on a one hundred and five-pound human. He screamed as she tore into his legs, and then his throat. She let out an ear-splitting roar that shook the entire countryside. Humans? HA!  
  
* * *  
  
Dahlia and Angel were teamed up against some boys. "Three on two. I like those odds," Dahlia stated as she shifted. One of them backed away from her, and then took off running. Silver saw him and gave chase. When she had pinned him down, she shifted to human.  
  
"Just make it quick," he pleaded with her, shutting his eyes. Silver looked down at his throat. It was thick and full of blood. She bent her head down and was preparing to shift, when delicate canines suddenly extended from her teeth! And she wasn't even in half-form!  
  
"What the?.." she asked, surprised and pleased at the same time. She didn't waste time trying to figure it out, but darted in and bit, her teeth easily piercing the skin. She fed on him this way, as Angel, Dahlia, and the other two Hunters stared dumb-struck at her.  
  
"I thought Silver was a 'shifter?" Angel asked, totally confused.  
  
'Me too.' Angel suddenly realized that there was a fight going on around her.  
  
"Less talk, more action," she said to her friend as they used the element of confusion to attack. The boys didn't even have a prayer. Angel snapped one's neck, and Dahlia suffocated the other by biting into his windpipe. Angel sat down for a moment to survey the scene. Marik was trying to fight off a boy and a girl at the same time. Peter was standing in the tree cover, watching Iris and Rain battle two girls. Patrick was over by Julie, talking to her. 'Patrick is such an idiot. I can't believe he likes that pathetic human. Made-vampires. I'll never understand them. And I don't want to either,' she thought to herself.  
  
* * *  
  
Peter was hiding in the trees, watching Rain fight the hunters. "I wish I was fighting by her side." Iris was fighting even harder than she had been. Kelsey's death was still fresh in her mind, and these vermin would pay dearly for killing him.  
  
"Watch your back, Redfern!" Rain shouted as she ducked under a stake's arc.  
  
"You look out for yourself, Johnson!" Iris shot back, kicking the Hunter away. They stood back to back, and that was their fatal mistake. One Hunter had a long spear, and he took aim. He gave a scream as he threw it, and the spear sailed through the air and hit its targets. Both of the vampires were hit through the chest. Peter looked at the boy who had thrown the weapon. He was standing with a wide grin on his face. Peter ran at him, stake raised.  
  
"NOOO!" he shouted as he threw himself on top of the Hunter. The stake pierced the Hunter to the heart. He died slowly, with Peter on him the entire time. "Let's see if you like being staked through the heart, you worthless vermin!" Peter whispered as he watched the boy die. Angel stood quietly, watching the scene.  
  
"One thing I like about stakes. They're just as useful on the vampire Hunters, as they are on the vampires." Peter got off of the Hunter and went to Rain. She and Iris had pulled the spear out, but it was clear that they were dying. Iris lay herself on the ground, as Kat and Skye ran out to her.  
  
"I'm coming to join you, Kelsey. May our love bring us together," she said softly, closing her eyes. With a last gasp of air, she died on the grass. Skye put her hand on her head.  
  
"Goddess of Life, receive this maiden and guide her to the other side in peace," she chanted as tears formed in her eyes. Angel looked at her dead cousin and let a single tear fall down her face.  
  
"Farewell my cousin. The Redferns will never forget your bravery, or your sacrifice," she said quietly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Peter dropped to his knees beside Rain.  
  
"Please live, Rain. Please," he begged her. She looked at him strangely.  
  
"Peter. The human. Funny, I always thought I was different than all the vampires with human soulmates. Guess I'm just one more liberal lamia." Rain replied, smiling warmly for the first time.  
  
"Don't die on me. I'll never forgive myself if you do," he told her, cradling her in his arms. She stroked his face with her hand.  
  
"Sweet little human. It's my time. Let me go." He slammed his fist hard into the ground, hate burning in his eyes.  
  
"NO! I won't let you go, God damnit! I won't!" he shouted, closing his eyes and focusing on her. She closed her eyes and saw a strange sight in front of her. It was glowing, drawing her back to the land of the semi-living. With her mind, she reached out and grabbed it. Peter pulled on the other end, gently dragging her back to him. Opening her eyes, she saw him kneeling next to her. Skye and Kat stood over him, puzzled looks on their faces.  
  
"Peter, I don't know what you did, but she's alive. Sort of," Kat told him, looking at Skye, who shrugged in a gesture of Don't ask me what's going on. Peter picked Rain up and gently carried her over to where Julie and Patrick were. He set her down and watched as Skye and Kat did witchy-things to her. His new girlfriend would live. Now all that remained was to defeat the Hunters.  
  
* * *  
  
Marik was all alone in battling the two remaining Hunters. One of them was Clint, and the other was a very experienced girl. He finally succeeded in breaking the girl's back. She fell to the ground and couldn't get back up. Clint tried to distract Marik so he could help his friend, but the young vampire was too good to be fooled easily. Tripping Clint up, he kicked him out of the way. When he was out of range, Marik walked calmly over to the girl. "Give up?" he asked, bending over her. She glared darkly at him.  
  
"Got to hell, you little Satan worshiper."  
  
"You first, little vermin," he replied, twisting her head and snapping her neck. She lay like a rag doll on the ground. It was then that he remembered that Clint was still alive. He looked around and saw him charging, the spear raised. Marik tried to get out of the way, but Clint impaled him on the spear. The silver tip didn't do extensive damage, but the wooden shaft burned like an iron brand. Marik clenched his teeth as the pain caused him to double over, and then fall to the ground. The spear was still embedded in him. Clint smiled triumphantly.  
  
"You stupid Night World freaks think you're so tough. Well we humans think differently," he gloated, removing a stake from his belt.  
  
"If you Hunters are such hot-shots, how come you're the only one left?" Marik asked him, shuddering as another bolt of pain racked his body.  
  
"I'll kill all the others myself. With my bare hands if I have to!" Clint shouted to him, coming in for the kill. He was startled from his work when a familiar voice came from behind him.  
  
"Back away from him, Clint. Or I will be forced to kill you," Melody warned, an arrow strung on her bow. The younger boy turned around to face her.  
  
"Melody, what's gotten into you? You're a Hunter. We have to kill these freaks of nature." She shook her head, sighing sadly.  
  
"Clint, don't you see? I'm one of them. I'm a "freak" too," she replied, bringing the bow up in case he got stupid. Clint visibly deflated.  
  
"Are you a vampire? A werewolf? A 'shifter?" he asked, still holding the stake. She shook her head, slightly smiling.  
  
"I'm a witch. Why do think I taught you all the prophecies? Why do you think I was in Circle Daybreak?"  
  
"So that means that you could be considered human. Let me kill this vampire," he suggested. Marik spoke up then.  
  
"Let's not and say we did," he answered, raising himself up, even though it hurt enormously. Clint turned on him, eyes flashing.  
  
"Shut up, demon whelp! You corrupted my friend! For this, you must die!" he shouted, plunging the stake downward. Marik threw his arms up in defense, but there was no way he would be able to stop the force of the strike. Melody reacted with lightening-quick reflexes.  
  
"Goddess, forgive me." she whispered, pulling the arrow back and letting it fly. It struck Clint through the heart. He stopped what he was doing and stared her. A look of shock was on his face. Melody began to cry. "Forgive me. I couldn't let you kill him. I love him. I'm sorry," she told him as Clint realized what his anger had blinded him to before. He gave a last proclamation with his dying breath.  
  
"I forgive you, my...Friend…" he said, falling dead to the earth. Melody closed his eyes for him and asked the spirits to guide him on his long journey. Then she went over to Marik, who embraced her.  
  
"You were super," he assured her, baring his teeth against the pain. She helped him to stand up.  
  
"I couldn't let him kill you. I do love you," she replied as they staggered over to the others. A victory cheer went up as the remaining group walked back to headquarters to report success. The battle was over, and they were victorious! 


	13. The birth of Circle Starlight

1.1 Chapter 13  
  
The remainder of the group walked slowly back to the door. Jake carried the dead Kelsey, and Sage and John gingerly carried Iris. Angel led the group, walking with her head held high. Peter held on tightly to Rain, who allowed herself to be carried. Julie was still bound hand and foot, so Patrick carried her the entire way. Kat, Skye, and Leah walked up near the front, followed by Amy, Alex, Silver, Dahlia, and Lyca. Matt and Austin were half- carrying, and half-supporting Marik. Melody had pulled the spear out as best she could, but a large hole was still there where the spear had gone through him. Melody walked behind the trio of boys, talking to Marik the whole time. Luke limped along beside Amber, the fight having taken a lot out of him. Corinne and Alan walked side by side, occasionally looking back at the blood-covered field. Lilli walked near Bobbi and Mike, who were still cats. Tyrna was helping Matt to steady Marik. Gepard walked on the other side of Austin. They reached the door and Angel opened it. They descended into the depths of the earth to tell the others of the fight.  
  
* * *  
  
Hunter and a few of the other Elders were sitting around a long table in the main meeting room. "Are you serious? A whole lost kingdom of vamp- Why hello, Angel! Back so soon?" Hunter asked, startled out of his initial conversation. Angel stared back at her great-grandfather.  
  
"How did the rumble go?" wondered a man who looked no older than eighteen. Angel knew for a fact that he was at least thirty.  
  
"It went fine. We won, if that's what you really want to know."  
  
"Fine, fine! Did that little vermin...Never mind, I can see that he's very much alive," Hunter noted, giving Peter a cold, hard stare. An older woman then noticed what Sage, John, and Jake were carrying.  
  
"Who are they?" she asked, pointing. Angel gave a signal, and the bodies were laid at the Elders' feet.  
  
"Kelsey Harpy and Iris Redfern. A 'shifter and a vampire. The Hunters killed them. I leave it up to you to notify any relatives."  
  
"Fine. We'll do that. So what do you plan to do now that you've, in a way, "saved" Circle Midnight?" Hunter wanted to know, expertly changing the subject.  
  
"What do we plan to do? We intend to leave the Circle," Angel revealed, as gasps came from some of the Elders. Most of the shocked ones were Redferns.  
  
"What do you mean? You killed the Hunters and now you feel sorry for them? Is that it?" the eighteen-looking vampire asked.  
  
"No, that's not it at all. We just don't want to be affiliated with any political Circle right now. After the Millennium, we'll see what happens," Dahlia explained, standing next to Angel.  
  
"So what do you want us to do?" Hunter wondered, looking at the motley crew of Night World teens.  
  
"Allow us to leave without a fight," Skye suggested as Angel closed Peter's mouth before it got them in trouble. Hunter turned to the others and they whispered amongst themselves for a few minutes. They finally faced the group again.  
  
"Fine. Leave now. You don't know the fun you'll miss though," Hunter said as the teens turned to leave.  
  
"One more thing! What will you call yourselves?" an old witch asked. Lyca turned around, but didn't stop walking.  
  
"We're Circle Starlight," she told them as they walked out of the meeting room to get their stuff and go home.  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was a cold winter night when Angel received the call. The others waited for her to come back into the room, then pelted her with questions. "Calm down everyone! I'll answer all your questions!" she assured them, sitting down gracefully on the couch.  
  
"What's the latest news from Circle Daybreak? You know, what's happened in the past week or so?" Kat asked, getting anxious waiting for the answer.  
  
"Well, CD sent out a three-person team to track down the Witch Child."  
  
"Who was on the team?" Dahlia asked, wrapping her arms around her knees.  
  
"It was Keller, who's a panther 'shifter, Winfrith Arlin, who's a witch, and Nissa Johnson, who's lamia," Angel continued, smiling at Amber, who rolled her eyes at the mention of her cousin's name.  
  
"Anyone else?" Matt wondered, laying down on the floor.  
  
"There was one other person. Dahlia's older brother, Galen," Angel revealed. Dahlia looked pleased that her brother had done something heroic.  
  
"What about the Night World?" Melody wanted to know as she and Marik sat together on a small bed.  
  
"Apparently they found a very formidable ally. For some unknown reason, they got a dragon." Gasps of shock and horror ran around the room.  
  
"A dragon? No way!" Bobbi said, not believing it.  
  
"Way," Angel replied in the same valley-girl voice that her friend had used.  
  
"What happened with the dragon?" Patrick asked as Julie sat wide-eyed next to him. She had been made a vampire, so was now part of the group.  
  
"Keller and Galen killed it. It had five horns on its head." Sage looked skeptical, as he knew the history and morphology of dragons.  
  
"Five horns? Are you sure?" Dahlia backed up Angel's story.  
  
"It's true. My brother and I were talking just a few minutes ago, and he told me everything. Even about how Keller is his soulmate, and he took his shape from her. He's a leopard now. And Iliana, the Witch Child, did the promise ceremony with Keller instead of him. Because she saw how happy they were together, and she didn't want to ruin it."  
  
"That's so sweet." Tyrna stated, looking at Matt, who smiled at her.  
  
"Gag me with a spoon," Corinne replied, pretending to be sick.  
  
"I'd be happy to." Julie told her, teasing her new friend. Corinne saw she was out-numbered and shut-up with a pout.  
  
"Anyway. What else is going on in the outside world?" Amber asked, wanting to know more. Angel sighed.  
  
"Where do I begin? The second Wild Power was found before Iliana was discovered. His name is Delos Redfern. He was a prince of the Dark Kingdom. Hunter tried to get him to join his side, but Delos' soulmate, Maggie Neely, convinced him otherwise. Delos killed Hunter with the blue fire."  
  
"So Hunter's dead?" Luke asked, hardly believing it. Angel nodded, then continued her story.  
  
"And I have even more bad news. You all know that the witches seceded from the Night World, and that the 'shifters have joined them?" she asked, as they all nodded their heads. "Well it turns out that before the promise ceremony could take place, a bunch of 'shifters killed Grandma Harman, the Crone," Skye and Kat sniffed, knowing that the witches would never be the same. Amy looked shocked, and Melody let a tear fall from her eyes.  
  
"So now Circle Daybreak has three Wild Powers on their side. Is it just me, or does anyone else think they're going to win?" Gepard asked, looking around.  
  
"Well, if the Night World can find the last one and kill him or her, which of course, you know is never going to happen, then they'll win," Rain commented as she and Peter snuggled up close.  
  
"And pigs may fly," Austin joked as the entire group burst out laughing. Angel sat back and surveyed the scene. They were all Circle Starlight. All fifteen vampires, three wolves, two humans, three witches, two tigers, one falcon, one bobcat, one mountain lion, and one cheetah. They were friends. And together they could make it through anything, even the Millennium. 


End file.
